




Jf^DAY^ 





iTTLE 



# 



Sunday-School Stories 

fffor JLittle Cl^ilDrert 



ON THE 



GOLDEN TEXTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL 
LESSONS OF 1889 



BY 

MISS LUCRETIA P. HALE 

* 1 
AND 

? )'" MRS. BERNARD WHITMAN 




BO! 

ROBERTS BROTHERS 
1889 



.H32, 



Copyright, 1889, 
By Roberts Brothers. 



John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. 



PREFACE. 



T^HE publishers of this volume issued 
in January a collection of twenty- 
six stories, founded upon the texts of 
the International Course for the first six 
months of this year. They will issue 
this month a series of twenty-six stories 
corresponding to the lessons of the last 
six months of the year. These stories 
are written by what, in the Wadsworth 
Clubs, we call a " Ten," — several of 
them by myself, and the others by 
my sisters, my children, and by Mrs. 
Bernard Whitman, the secretary of the 



IV PKEFACE. 

Ten Times One orders. It is pleasant 
to acknowledge the interest and favor 
with which the collection already pub- 
lished has been received by teachers of 
Sunday-schools. But it had scarcely 
appeared before we received an earnest 
appeal from all quarters that we would 
attempt the preparation of another se- 
ries, intended for the younger children: 
they make so large a part of every 
Sunday-school, that whatever helps 
them or their teachers helps forward 
the whole. I felt at once some sur- 
prise that the general wish for such a 
collection had not been sooner acknow^l- 
edged and provided for. I therefore 
urged Mrs. Whitman and my sister 
Lucretia to undertake at once the com- 
pilation of a volume which should meet 



PEEFACE. V 

the purposes of the younger classes in 
all our Sunda^Y-schools, as they en- 
gaged in the study of the International 
texts for this year. They have under- 
taken this very pleasant office, and the 
reader has in hand the stories which 
they have pro^dded for the little people. 
It is published at the same time with 
the collection for older boys and girls, 
which, as before, was written by what 
I am tempted to call my own ^^ Ten." 
Both of them are published with our 
best hopes and prayers for the welfare 
of the young people for whom they 
are written. 

EDWARD E. HALE. 

June, 1889. 



CONTENTS. 



First Sunday in July. Page 

The Voice in the Woods 7 

Second Sunday in July. 

Grace's First Lesson 15 

Third Sunday in July. 

The Mole-Hills 22 

Fourth Sunday in July. 

Who shall Keign? 31 

First Sunday in August. 

Was it Fair ? 40 

Second Sunday in August. 

The Great Things 48 

Third Sunday in August. 

King Harry 57 

Fourth Sunday in August. 

The Tired Tramp 65 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

First Sunday in September. Page 

Courage 73 

Second Sunday in September. 

The Close Friend 81 

Third Sunday in September. 

Coals of Fire 88 

Fourth Sunday in September. 

The Broken Jar . 96 

Fifth Sunday in September. 

Barbara's Mission ........ 104 

First Sunday in October. 

The Little Beebes 112 

Second Sunday in October. 

Contentment Better than Riches . . 121 

Third Sunday in October. 

Roger's Procession 129 

Fourth Sunday in October. 

The Street-Sweeper 139 

First Sunday in November. 

Annie Bent's Dream 147 

Second Sunday in November. 

He Couldn't say "No" ...... 155 

Third Sunday in November. 

The Promise 163 



COKTENTS. IX 

Fourth Sunday in November. Page 

Lost in the Woods 171 

First Sunday in December. 

The Holy Temple 178 

Second Sunday in December. 

True Greatness 185 

Third Sunday in December. 

Eleanor's Pride 194 

Fourth Sunday in December. 

Isaac's Conversion 202 

Fifth Sunday in December. 

Try Again. . . , 211 



First Sunday in July. 



THE VOICE IN THE WOODS. 

TBNNIE CAMPBELL had been pick- 
J ing berries with her mother, on the 
hillside behind the house where they 
were staying in the summer, at the 
White Mountains. They had been out 
all the morning, climbing among the 
bushes and rocks into a wild and 
lonely place. At last it came time for 
Mrs. Campbell to go back. 

^^Oh, do let me stay a little longer," 
begged Jennie ; ^^I have not quite filled 
my basket, and I want a whole basket- 



8 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

ful to give to Papa, when he comes up 
from town to-night. Here is a beautiful 
bush all full of berries, and it will not 
take long for me to pick them." 

'^ If you are not afraid to come down 
the path alone/' said her mother, ^^you 
can stay a little while ; we are not far 
from the house." 

^^ Oh, I can't lose my way," said 
Jennie, lau^ghing; ^^ and they say there 
are no bears about here." 

Indeed, it was very quiet in the woods 
after her mother left her, — Jennie was 
almost frightened at the silence. It 
was no on- time now, and none of the 
birds were singing ; they were not even 
fluttering in the warm air. ^^The birds 
must be all taking naps in their nests," 
Jennie said to herself; and she began 



THE VOICE m THE WOODS. 9 

to think of hurrying home^ she felt so 
lonely, — not even a mosquito to be 
seen. 

Suddenly in all the quiet she thought 
she heard her own name called. She 
looked about her, — into the trees, under 
the bushes, up and down the path, but 
she could see nobody coming. All was 
still about her; not a leaf moving, not 
the sound of a footstep. 

She listened, trembling now with a 
little fear, as she certainly heard her 
name called again. 

'^ Somebody is calling me," she said, 
*^and must be wanting me. But it 
could not be Mamma's voice, and it 
does not come from the house; it is 
the other way." 

Jennie turned in the direction from 



10 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

which the sound came. She walked 
into the midst of the bushes, and 
heard the cry again, fainter. 

^^ That makes three times," she said 
to herself, and stopped suddenly as she 
thought of the story of Samuel her 
teacher had read her on Sunday. She 
remembered how Samuel was alone in 
the temple of the Lord at night, only 
Eli with him; and Eli was asleep, and 
the lamp had gone out. And three 
times the voice called him, and three 
times he arose, and said, "' Here am I." 

And it seemed to her as if she were 
all alone in the ^^ temple of the Lord," 
and the same voice was calling to her. 
She saw a path before her^ leading 
into the bushes, but the place began 
to seem very strange to her, and she 



THE VOICE m THE WOODS. 11 

hardly ventured to leave the path from 
the house that she knew well. 

^^That may be. the path that leads 
to the bears/' she said to herself; '^thej 
are not near the house, but it is quite 
likely they might be up there among 
the rocks. I think I had better go 
home." But the voice came again and 
again, and seemed higher up, but not 
very far away. So then she stood 
bravely, and called^ ^^ Here am I ; I am 
coming/' and hurried along. 

^' But I may lose my way," she said 
to herself; so she stopped and scattered 
the berries from her basket as she 
went along, and kept on climbing up 
the path, till she came to a stone wall ; 
and when she came near, she saw a 
boy lying by the wall, and he seemed 



12 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOEIES. 

almost crushed by the stones that had 
fallen upon him. It was one of the 
boys she knew; a son of one of their 
neighbors. 

^'Oh, Richard!" she exclaimed, as 
she came to him, '' are you badly 
hurt? How came you to fall? Can 
I help you?" 

'^ I thought no one could ever come 
to me," said Richard, in a faint voice; 
" for nobody ever comes this way, and 
I ought not to have tried it, for the 
wall gave way; and I do not know 
what would have become of me, but 
I heard your voice when you bade 
your mother good-by. But I feared 
I could not make you hear me — " 

Jennie was trying to help him^ but she 
could not lift away the heavy stones. 



THE VOICE m THE WOODS. 13 

'^ I will run to the house as fast as 
I can/' she said, '' and bring some 
one to help you." 

She ran back to the house, and was 
very glad she had scattered the berries 
as she came along; for there was no 
very good path, and she would have 
lost the way, she was very sure, if it 
had not been for her berries. She met 
her mother near the house, who was 
coming out to see what had become 
of her. 

"I will go up to Richard," said her 
mother, ^^and you must find some of 
the men to bring him to the house." 

Jennie hurried back and found some 
men to carry Richard to his home. 
His leg was badly broken, and the 
doctors said his life would have been 



14 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORlESo 

in danger if Jennie had not found him 
as soon as she did. 

^^ My brave little girl ! " said her 
mother to Jennie, when she heard the 
whole story; ^^for I think you were 
very ranch frightened." 

^^I was, indeed," said Jennie, ^^and 
if I had not thought of Samuel, I be- 
lieve I should have run away home. 
I don't suppose bears have voices, but 
I did not think of that ; I only thought 
some one was calling me, and wanting 
me, and I could only answer, ' Here 
am I.' '' 

" Then Samuel answered^ Speak ; for thy 
servant hearethr 



Second Sunday in July. 



GRACE'S FIRST LESSON. 

" T WON'T ! I tell you I won't ! " 

^^ Oh, Miss Oracle ! " said the pa- 
tient Jane, ^^ do come now. We '11 walk 
down by the fruit shop and get some of 
those nice oranges." 

'^ No, I won't, Jane ! You need n't 
stand there and look at me ; I won't. 
There ! — " and Orace ended with a pro- 
longed scream. 

^^ Jane, Jane ! '' called a weary, petu- 
lant voice from a room near by. ^^ Can't 
you get along gently with Miss Grace ? 



16 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

It IS very hard that you should always 
be having trouble with her." 

Jane did not answer ; but a naughty, 
defiant voice muttered, ^^ There, Jane, I 
told you if you did n't let me have my 
way Mamma would scold you. So 
now ! " 

Mrs. Storer had already closed the 
door and sunk back upon her sofa. She 
never reproved her little daughter, and 
soon Grace knew that if she persisted 
she could always have her own way. 
Mamma only said, ^Mane, can't you 
keep Miss Grace quiet ? " 

It was only the question of a blue 
silk muffier this time. Grace had not 
been quite well for a day or two, and 
Jane had tied it about her neck. Grace 
did n't want it. Jane knew if she per- 



grace's first LESSOIS". 17 

sisted Grace would scream, and Mrs. 
Storer would come to the door again 
and reprove her. '' After all," she said 
to herself, '' perhaps I am too careful, 
and Miss Grace does n't need the muf- 
fler." So she put it away in the drawer, 
and taking Grace by the hand, she went 
out for the morning walk. 

^^ Don't put your hands into the snow, 
Miss Grace," said Jane, as Grace pre- 
pared not only to put her hands in, but 
to walk into a drift. 

^^ I shall if I want to," answered saucy 
Grace. *^ You need n't tell me, old Jane, 
what I can do and what I can't do ; I 
guess I know. You need n't tell Mamma 
either, for it won't do any good." 

Jane knew that was true, and she 
tried her best to call Grace's attention 

2 



18 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

to other things. Grace gave up the 
idea of wading, but would plunge her 
hands in as far as possible to see what 
deep holes she could make. Her nurse 
was glad enough when the walk was 
ended. The air had grown raw and 
cold, and Grace was chilled through. 
She was cross, and nothing would suit 
her until Jane sat down, took her on 
her lap, and began to tell her stories. 
As she nestled there, her face grew 
flushed and her eyes iieavy. 

At last Jane put her to bed and sent 
for Mrs. Storer, who sent for the doctor. 
Morning came ; the cheeks were still 
flushed, and the doctor found her in a 
high fever. Mrs. Storer roused herself, 
and hung over the bed in despair lest 
her darling little girl should be taken 



GKACe's FIEST LESSOIS". 19 

from her. In vain, however, she tried 
to make her take her medicines. Grace 
had never been taught to obey, and 
now that she was ill she would not. 
She would scream, and Mrs. Storer dared 
not insist. 

'' How 's tliis ? " exclaimed the doctor. 
^^ Hasn't Grace taken her medicine?" 
He looked pretty cross from under his 
shaggy eyebrows, and Grace was fright- 
ened. 

"No, Dr. Greene," answered Mrs. 
Storer ; '' she did n't want to, and so I 
did n't urge it." 

^^ Did n't urge it, eh? Do you want 
to kill Grace ? If you do, you '11 suc- 
ceed before long. Here, Grace, open 
your mouth and take this medicine." 

Grace glanced from one to the other. 



20 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

The doctor looked stern. She opened 
her mouth and swallowed her medicine. 

'^ Good girl ! " said the doctor, kindly. 
*^ Now we '11 begin to think about getting 
rid of that pain, I '11 come in again and 
see yoii. I don't wish to kill you; I 
wish to make you well/' and smiling 
pleasantly, Dr. Greene went ou.t. 

True to his word, he came again in 
the evening. ^^ Open your mouth/' he 
said, as he walked up to the bedside, and 
Grace did not dare disobey. She opened 
it without a word. '' You '11 do well 
now. Good-night ; " and the doctor, 
with an approving look, went out. 

'' Do you mean to tell me, Mrs. Storer, 
that you never cross that child ? " asked 
Dr. Greene. ^^ If that's the way you 
mean to bring her up, you'll both of 



gkace's fikst lesson. 21 

yon have a hard time of it. Remember 
one thing. Yonr Grace wonld not be 
here with yon this moment if I had not 
made her obey better than yon do ; " 
and taking np his hat, he left the house. 
Good Dr. Greene continued his visits, 
and Grace recovered. But she learned 
her first lesson in obedience then, a 
lesson which she never forgot. 

" His sons made themselves vile^ and he re- 
strained them notJ^ 



Third Sunday in July. 



THE MOLE-HILLS. 

*^ T DO wish our teacher would not 
give us such hard Sunday-school 
lessons ! " Hatty Spencer complained to 
her sister one warm Saturday afternoon 
in July. ^' I shall never be able to 
learn all those long words." 

^' What do you mean by long words? " 
answered Esther. ^^ I should say they 
were remarkably easy.'' 

'^ I went to Papa/' answered Hatty, 
^^to ask him how to pronounce this 
very first one of them, and he said he 



THE MOLE-HILLS. 23 

thought ' Khjathjearim ' was too hard 
a word for so small a girl as me." 

^^ But you did not tell him that ^ Kir- 
jathjearim ' was in our lesson, did you ? " 
interrupted Esther, indignantly. ^^Now, 
that is just like you; you are always 
looking out for the hard places, even 
when you do not need to cross them, 
— the ^ Kirjathjearims,' — and I believe 
it is for the mere pleasure of complain- 
ing about them. Why do you pick 
out the bad things and make a fuss 
about them?" 

^^ I don't know what you mean," said 
Hatty. ^^ I don't pick them out; they 
are there. Papa said, the other day, I 
made mountains out of mole-hills. I 
can't think what he meant; I never 
saw any mole-hills." 



24 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

^^That is the thing/' said Esther; 
^^you don't look at the little pleasant 
things. A nice little mole -hill you 
might enjoy looking at." 

'^ Wliat is a mole-hill, anyway ? '' 
asked Hatty. 

^^ Well^ a blind little mole builds 
his house under ground/' explained 
Esther, ^^ and in clearing out his 
rooms he brings up some of the earth 
to the top, and leaves it there, and 
it makes a little bit of a hill there ; 
and you come along and say, ^ Oh, 
dear, I can never step over this 
mountain, I can't go any farther ; will 
somebody help me over this dreadful 
hilir" 

Hatty could not help laughing ; but 
she said, ^^I am sure I never saw a 



THE MOLE-HILLS. 25 

mole-hill ; but here is this di'eadful ' Kir- 
jathjearim' in the lesson." 

^^ Xo ; it is not here ! " said Esther, 
^^and that is just where you are mis- 
taken. You did n't listen to Miss Mars- 
ton when she told us to learn only the 
text; and she would read us the lesson. 
She always tells us so. Xow, there 
never was so easy a text ; it is full of 
short words, and easy to understand." 

Hatty confessed she had not looked 
at the text, and her sister read it to 
her: '^ Cease to do evil; learn to do 
well." 

^^I am sure there is no Kirjathjearim 
in that," Esther went on, '' and I have 
a great mind to give you a bit of a 
scolding. You know Mamma told us 
when she went away that I might scold 



26 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOEIES. 

you a little, now and then, and I think 
I have neglected it." 

'^ I know it," said Hatty, in a doleful 
tone, almost beginning to cry ; ^^ you 
have not seen to me at all." 

^^The truth is," said Esther, ^Hhe 
older girls do not like to have you 
round, because you are always com- 
plaining about something. I heard 
Mary Sanders only yesterday calling 
you a little fuss, when we were dis- 
cussing whether we should ask the ' lit- 
tle girls ' to the picnic on Monday 
afternoon in the woods." 

*^ Oh, do let me go," exclaimed Hatty ; 
^^ only I don't see how I can walk so 
far in my new boots, and my old ones 
don't look fit; there's a hole in them, 
too." 



THE mole-hills; 27 

^^ There begins tlie Kirjathjearim 
again^ already/' said Esther, " for we 
are not going very far, and it would 
be a good chance to ^ w^alk in ' your 
new boots. Bat I am afraid the girls 
won't ask you, for I heard them talk 
about the fuss the little girls made 
when Miss Marston took us to see the 
stereopticon." 

^' Well, at first I thought we ought to 
be very near," said Hatty, ^^ and I moved 
my seat to the front ; and then when it 
began, I saw it would be better to be 
behind, and I moved again, but where 
I could not see at all, and so I had 
to change again." 

'^ It was the same thing," said her 
sister, ^^ you began to complain be- 
forehand ; you looked up ' the Kirjath- 



28 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

jearims.' If you had waited till Miss 
Marston told you where to sit; you 
would have been all right ; and to-day 
if you had studied your text^ as Miss 
Marston told you to, you would have 
known nothing about Kirjathjearim till 
Miss Marston had told you about it." 

^^ The text is quite easy/' said Hatty. 
^* I know it already : ' Cease to do evil ; 
learn to do well.' But what does ^ cease ' 
mean ? " she asked. 

^^ It means ^ stop off' directly from 
doing evil; don't wait a minute," said 
Esther; ^^ and you know we are not 
merely to learn the text, but to do it. 
We must stop off doing evil directly." 

*^ I must stop off fussing, I sup- 
pose," said Hatty, ^^I do believe I 
will." 



THE MOLE-HILLS. 29 

^^ I will tell tlie girls," said Esther, 
^' that if they will let you and the oth- 
ers go, you will not fuss at all." 

^' And I will begin to do well this very 
afternoon," said Hatty. " I mean to go 
over to Mrs. Thomas's to see if she will 
let us have some grapes for the picnic. 
She told me she would give me some 
any day; but it is ever so far, and I 
have been afraid of the long walk, on 
account of my new boots. But I will 
stamp them in this afternoon." 

"And I will cease to do evil, and I 
will not scold you all the afternoon," 
said Esther, as she helped her sister to 
put on her heavy boots. 

Hatty started off for the long walk. 
As she went across the town, she might 
have been seen jumping up and down 



30 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOEIES. 

on the corners of the sidewalks when 
she was waiting to cross the street. ^^ A 
very happy girl," everybody thought 
who saw her. She was *^ jumping in" 
her new boots to make them easy, and 
she was very happy, and was singing 
to a tune she made herself, ^^ Cease to 
do evil; learn to do well ! " 

" Cease to do evil ; learn to do welV 



Fourth Sunday in July. 



WHO SHALL REIGN? 

'^ TTAVE a care, Henry! Don^t say 
what you 11 be sorry for." 

Henry Leonard looked np quickly 
and saw the new minister. Henry 
dropped his eyes, half-ashamed; and 
Mr. Holman, smiling, walked on. 

Henry Leonard wanted his own way. 
He had a strong will and quick temper, 
which he did not try to control. 

^^ Henry is so headstrong," said Mrs. 
Leonard to her sister one day, ^Hhat it 
troubles me." 



32 SUHDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

^^ He wishes to have a king over 
him," rephed Aunt Kate. ''He isn't 
content to rule himself." 

His mother looked grave. Just then 
she glanced out of the window and saw 
Henry strike a boy with whom he was 
disputing. 

^' Henry, Henry ! " she called, but he 
did not answer. 

^' Henry ! " she called, louder • and this 
time Henry looked up, and with a fare- 
well cuff to the boy, he slowly came 
up to the house. 

^' I can't help it. He took my mar- 
bles, he did," he muttered as he came 
in the door. 

^' Your marbles ! " exclaimed his 
mother. ^' Why, only to-day noon 
you asked me to give you money to 



WHO SHALL EEIGX? 33 

get marbles because you had lost 
yours ! How did you happen to have 
any?" 

'' Played for 'em," answered Henry, 
briefly. 

^^ Hemy Leonard ! do you mean you 
played and won the marbles from the 
other boy ? " 

Henry admitted tliat that was just 
what he had done. 

'^ Did the boy play ^ in earnest ^ 
too?" 

'' Well, no/' answered Henry, a little 
sulkily. ^^He would, I guess, if he 
had won. But I won, and then he 
said ^ 'twas n't fauV 

^^ But you took his marbles just the 
same ? " asked Mrs. Leonard. 

^^ Of course I did. And then he 

3 



34 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

snatched them and wouldn't let me 
have them." 

^^ Oh, Henry, Henry ! I 'm afraid 
Aunt Kate was right when she said 
you wanted a king over you." 

'^I don't want a king or anybody 
else," answered Henry, with some spirit. 

^^I know you think you don't, but 
your actions speak louder than even 
your words do. Whether you say 
you want a king or not, you seem to 
be doing the best you can to make 
one." 

^^How?" asked Henry, curiously. 

^^ Just by being determined to have 
your own way. The question comes 
up : Do you wish to rule yourself or 
do you want King Self-will to rule 
over you ? For my own part, I prefer 



WHO SHALL REIGN? 35 

to be independent of a king. You 
are old enough, Henry, to understand 
this matter now, and know your own 
mind.'^ 

Henry looked a little crestfallen. He 
liked to rule over other boys^ but the 
idea of a king to rule over liim was not 
so pleasant. 

He went out and stretched himself 
under the trees. The talk about the 
king rather interested him. He pic- 
tured the dreadful kings there might 
be. King Drink was one. He knew 
a boy whose father was ruled by that 
king. He had heard his mother say 
one day, ^^ Poor Mr. Brown ! I pity 
him. He is n't master any longer.'' 
Henry didn't know then what his 
mother meant. Now he understood. 



36 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

Mr. Brown had a king. And there 
was that quarrelsome old woman down 
by the school, who was always scold- 
ing the boys. It must be she had a 
king. He wondered what her king's 
name was : perhaps King Temper. ^^ If 
people who have kings are like these, 
they are n't very agreeable/' he said to 
himself, rather bitterly. 

^^ Holloa, Hen! what are you do- 
ing?" sung out Jack Lee, a school- 
mate, who was passing. 

'' Studying history," answered Henry, 
quickly. '^ That is, I suppose you might 
call it history. It 's about kings." 

^^Oh, come oif now! Don't tell me 
you're studying. I should like to do 
some of that same kind, if you are ; '^ 
and in a second Jack was over the 



WHO SHALL REIGN? 37 

fence, stretched on the grass, with his 
arms over his head, gazing up into the 
trees, '' There, this is fine. This is just 
what I like. Did you call it studying 
history?" asked he, rather mockingly. 
^^It suits me if I don't have to recite." 

Henry laughed. '' I '11 tell you about 
it," he said. ^' It seems that people 
have to decide whether they want a 
king to rule over them or whether they 
will rule themselves. One or the other 
has got to happen. We all want a king, 
and are bound to have one until we un- 
derstand the case, and then — " he hesi- 
tated — ^^ some of us want one then. 
I suppose, too, weVe got to have him 
unless we get God's help to free our- 
selves," and he then explained about 
Mr. Brown and the cross old woman. 



38 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

Jack received the new idea with wide- 
opened eyes. ^^ I declare, I never 
thought of it before. Are you en- 
couraging any king, Hen ? " 

Henry nodded. ^^I'm afraid I am, 
Jack. King Self-will has been gaining 
on me. I didn't know it till Mother 
told me about it this afternoon." 

^^ It makes a fellow think,'' answered 
Jack. ^^I wonder who my king is. 
I guess I '11 have to give him a 
punch." 

^' Go ahead ! " said Henry, laughing. 
Jack's ways of putting things were al- 
ways funny. ^^ I 've made up my mind 
I won't be ruled; and if I work half 
as hard for myself as I did for him, 
he'll get beaten." 

King Self-will was beaten in the end. 



WHO SHALL REIGN? 39 

but not before lie had fought many 
battles. Henry knows now that it is 
better to be free ; and Jack says the 
king ^4s knocked down for good." 

" Nevertheless the people refused to ohey the 
voice of Samuel ; and they said^ Nay : hut we 
will have a king over us.^^ 



First Sunday in August. 

WAS IT FAIR? 

^^T DO not think it is fair/^ said little 
Celia to her cousin May, as she 
burst out crying. " You have not done 
what you agreed to do, and what you 
said you would do ; and you ought not 
to give the doll to Rachel, and you 
know — " 

But she could not go on with her 
words, for her tears were choking 
her. 

^^I know that you are a regular 
cry-baby," said May, '^and I know 



WAS IT FAIR? 41 

that I have a right to give my doll 
to whom I please.'' 

*^ What is the matter ? " said Celia's 
mother, who came into the room at 
this moment. ^^Celia^ what is the 
trouble! May, you will have to tell 
me, for Celia is crying so." 

Celia had thrown herself into her 
mother's lap, and was indeed crying 
so hard that she could not speak. 
May was the cousin of Rachel and 
Celia, but some years older than they 
were. She was very fond of playing 
with them, but she was also fond of 
having her own Avay. The little girls 
were willing to obey her, for she liked 
to show them how to play all kinds 
of games, and usually made them very 
happy, and they generally liked to do 



42 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

the tilings she told them to do. But 
Celia was the youngest of all, and a 
very little girl ; and she could not run 
as fast as the others, or keep up with 
them in their games, and often could 
not understand the plays that were 
planned by her cousin. So May had 
lately taken to calling her a little 
^Hease," and had been often stern 
and ^^ cross'' with her, Celia declared. 

^^I think, May, that you or Rachel 
must tell me what the trouble is," her 
aunt said at last, *^ for Celia is not 
ready yet." 

^^She calls me a cry-baby," Celia 
managed to say. 

^'I must say she seems a little like 
it now," said May. 

'^ But I want to know what she is 



WAS IT FAIR ? 43 

crying for," said her mother. ^'What 
is it, Rachel?" 

^^Why, May made us a rule," an- 
swered Rachel. *'She very often makes 
us a rule. This was a promise and a 
rule. The rule was that we were not 
to tease her or ask her to do things 
all the time. She was going to count 
up the number of times one of us 
began, — ' Oh ! Cousin May, won't you 
now ? ' and she was going to give her 
small doll with the purple jacket to 
the one of us who said it the least 
times in the day." 

As Rachel was speaking, Celia sat up 
in her mother's lap, and stopped crying 
to say, ^^And you know, Mamma, it 
was awful hard, awful hard not to say 
it ; and May had got me down only 



44 SUIS^DAY-SCHOOL STOEIES. 

five times, and Rachel was down ten 
times ; tliat 's twice as many, so ought n't 
I to have the doll ? '' 

Mrs. Lee could hardly help laughing, 
Celia was so earnest. 

But Eachel eagerly interrupted : 
" But, Mamma;, Cousin May's papers 
had got mixed up, and she was not 
sure of the count; and just at the last 
Celia said it all over again: ^Oh! 
Cousin May, won't you now?' so I 
am sure she forfeited the prize." 

'^ I don't know what ^ forfeit ' means,'' 
said Celia, ^^ unless it is breaking your 
promise. We began yesterday morn- 
ing, and we were to go on till this 
morning/' 

^'How is this, May?" asked Mrs. 
Lee ; ^^ I can't help thinking of the 



WAS IT FAIR? 45 

text you were studying this morning : 
^ By me kings reign, and princes 
decree justice/ If you have made a 
rule or decree, you must decree it 
justly." 

''Oh! Aunt Mary, I do believe I 
was going to decree justly," said May, 
eagerly, ''but Celia did trouble me 
so ; I was looking over my papers, 
and I had dropped some, and was 
trying to look over the count, when 
Celia began to cry, and began to say 
all over again, ' Now, Cousin May, 
won't you now?' — just what I had 
wanted to put a stop to ; and here it 
was all of no use, and I could not 
helf) saying Rachel should have the 
doll. It was my doll, and I had a 
right — " 



46 SUISTDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

^'Your riglit depends upon your 
promise," said Mrs. Lee. '^ If you fixed 
a time for the trial — " 

'^Yes, I did," said May, ^^It was 
just before dinner yesterday ; and I 
said, ^ Now, girls, I will give my doll 
with the purple jacket to the one who 
bothers me the least, and I will keep 
count of how many times you each 
say those words between now and 
dinner time to-morrow." 

^^Then I think Celia has won the 
doll," said Mrs. Lee, ^Hhough I do 
think she cries too much, and that 
she ought not to tease you. But you 
know in this country we do not have 
princes to make the laws, but the 
people make the laws. This makes 
them only more eager to keep the 



WAS IT FAIK? 47 

laws. Suppose we put it to vote to 
make a new law, that Each el and Celia 
shall try all the week not to tease you 
in any way, but wait till you are 
ready to play with them; and I will 
find a prize for both, if they deserve it." 

^^I am quite ashamed, Aunt Mary," 
said May, ^^ and I see that I was not 
at all just. Celia shall have the doll, 
and I will make a purple jacket for 
Rachel's doll, for I do think they both 
tried hard not to tease." 

^^And I will try," said Celia, wiping 
away her tears, — ^^ I will try not to cry 
so much." 

" By me Icings reign^ and princes decree 
justice.''^ 



Second Sunday in August. 



THE GREAT THINGS. 

'' A /TAMMA, I have been ^ consider- 
ing,' " said little Martin Lane to 
his mother one day, ^^and I cannot find 
that I have a great many ^ great things' 
done for me." 

Martin was sitting on some steps that 
led from the house to the garden, and 
his mother came to sit in a chair on the 
porch near him. 

^^ What are* the ^ great things' you 
want ? '' she asked. 



THE GREAT THINGS. 49 

^' I was thinking of what Louis told 
us of the ]iome he comes from," said 
Martin, ^^ where all winter long it is so 
warm, and he can pick the ripe oranges 
from the trees, as manv as he wants. 
Just think. Mamma ; instead of paving 
three or four cents for an orange, he 
can have as many as he pleases without 
paying anything. Sometimes he flings 
away half an orange, he says, because 
it is not ripe or sweet, and yet, he says, 
it would be nicer than any of those we 
buy here." 

'^ Suppose we make a list of the ^ great 
things ' you are in need of What comes 
next ? " 

" Oh, there are pictures," said Martin ; 
^^ Lina says people go to Italy to see 
the pictures, — great pictures." 



50 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

" Then we will begin our list with : 
^ fruit, pictures,' — what next ? " said Mrs. 
Lane. 

^^Then animals/' said Martin, ^^ great 
animals. I would like to live in the 
countries where the tigers are and the 
lions.'' 

^^ What next? " said his mother, with 
her pencil in her hand. ^'Here is the 
list of your wants, — the ' great things ' 
you do not have now : ' fruit, pictures, 
animals.' " 

^^Well, then/' said Martin, ^^ horses 
and carriages, so I could be taken where 
I wanted to go. Other people, Mamma, 
have them." 

'' But even if they are so very impor- 
tant, surely you have a great many of 
these things abeady." 



THE GEE AT THINGS. 51 

^^ But you see, Mamma, I don't have 
oranges eveiy day," Martin went on ; 
^^ and I heard tlie doctor say that fruit 
was very good for people ; that is why I 
put at the top of the Hst, ' fruit.' " 

^^But what is that I see on your 
fingers, Martin ? " asked his mother. 
^' There is a stain of something — " 

'' Oh, I have been picking berries all 
the morning," said Martin ; " we brought 
home two or three baskets full." 

'^ And how much did you have to pay 
for them ? " asked his mother. 

^' Oh, Mamma, I see what you mean ! " 
exclaimed Martin ; " I can have some 
fruit without paying for it. And Louis 
went with us this morning, and he said 
he never had so good a time in his life 
as picking berries, and he thought they 



52 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

were delicious ; for we all of us ate as 
many as we put in our baskets. '^ 

^' I think Louis liked them as well as 
oranges," said Mrs. Lane. 

" That is true, Mamma, '^ said Martin. 
" We might scratch off ' fruit ' from the 
list, for I don't think I could give up 
the pleasure of picking berries for all 
the oranges in the world. But the pic- 
tures — I ought to have ^ pictures ' on 
my list." 

^^Just look off there^ Martin," said 
Mrs. Lane; ^4ook down there by the 
gate, between the two elms. Do you see 
the sun setting far away, and what a 
golden color it paints in the sky ? '' 

^^ Oh, Mamma, how beautiful it is ! " 
exclaimed Martin; ^^ I never saw any- 
thing so beautiful before. Do see those 



THE GREAT THINGS. 53 

little red clouds that look like boats 
floating along in a gold sea ! " 

^^ Yet that sunset is there every night," 
said his mother ; ^^ sometimes there is a 
curtain before it of clouds, so we cannot 
see it. But I have my chair placed here 
so that I can come and look at this pic- 
ture night after night. Yet you never 
noticed it before. You are not ready to 
go to Italy to see the pictures, then^ if 
you do not notice what you can see at 
home every day." 

'' I do look every morning out of my 
window," said Martin, " and I do stop 
to enjoy the beautiful view ; but I never 
thought of calling it a picture before, or 
being grateful for it as a great thing." 

Just at this moment Puschkin, Mrs. 
Lane's favorite cat, came purring up the 



54 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

steps, and was about to jump into Mrs. 
Lane's lap, when Martin seized her. 
^^ As to animals, Mamma — " he was 
beginning. 

" As to animals/' his mother said, '^ I 
should prefer Puschkin to a tiger. Just 
imagine if it were a real tiger leaping 
upon us ! " 

^^ I 'm afraid you are right/' said 
Martin, stroking Puschkin with great 
delight. ^' Her stripes are splendid, 
— like the tigers in the menagerie. 
Perhaps I am satisfied with her, and 
she will do for ^ animals.' But horses 
and carriages, Mamma, they must be 
useful." 

" Very useful/' said Mrs. Lane ; '' but 
this very morning I heard my boy Mar- 
tin refuse to take the carriage and two 



THE GREAT THIXGS. 55 

horses waiting at the back gate, telHng 
his father he had rather walk ! " 

'^ Oh, Mamma, Papa was going in the 
horse-car, and I am tired of it," ex- 
claimed Martin. 

^' Because you have it every day/' 
said his mother; ^^and that is the way 
with most of these great things that are 
given us." 

'^I am afraid I w^as very forgetful," 
said Martin. '^ I have every moiTiing 
that beautiful picture from my window, 
and all these summer days I can joick 
all the fruit I want, and no tigers to 
eat me, but a nice, smooth, purring 
Puschkin to hop into my lap, and, as 
you say, horses and carnage when •! 
want to take a drive, — only generally 
I prefer to walk." 



56 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

^^And then you have two horses of 
your own," said his mother. 

^^ My own feet ! " said Martin ; ^^ then 
I think I ought to begin to be grateful 
early in the morning for all I am going 
to have.'' 

^^ And you must not forget the quiet 
night, with all its rest and peace," said 
his mother. 

'' Only fear the Lord^ and serve him in truth 
with all your heart; for consider how great 
things he hath done for youP 



Third Sunday in August. 



KING HARRY. 

^^ \^7HY do you take your school- 
books with you ? '' said Harry 
Staunton's mother to him, as he was 
leaving the house one Saturday after- 
noon ; ^' you need not be studying 
all the time, and you know you 
are to overlook the younger boys, 
and to see that they do not get into 
mischief." 

^^I know it," said Harry, ^^ and I 
promised to take the boys in bathing 
at the Backwater Creek, this afternoon. 



58 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

But we sha'n't be bathing all the after- 
noon; and it is a nice quiet place for 
a book and some study.'' 

The ^'Backwater Bay" at the creek 
was a safe place for bathing; and the 
boys had a jolly time all the warm 
summer afternoon splashing about in 
the water, some of them learning to 
swim, some of them showing how well 
they could swim already, and admir- 
ing Harry, who was a great favorite 
with the boys. They called him some- 
times King ^^ Walk-in-the- Water," be- 
cause it seemed as if he could do what 
he pleased in floating and swimming. 
Indeed they were fond of calling him 
^^King Harry" at school, because he 
w^as at the head of everything in his 
lessons. Then he was very kind to 



KI>^G HARRY. 59 

the little boys, helping them if they 
had anything hard to study. ^^ We call 
him /king/" one of the little boys once 
explained, '' because he makes us do 
things, and he makes us obey the rules 
even if we don't want to." 

This afternoon after bathing he had 
played with them, and helped them 
make some boats to sail across the little 
bay. 

They were so busy with this, that 
Harry left them to amuse themselves, 
and went off by himself to sit under 
a shady tree, leaning against the trunk, 
and took up his books at last. 

It was a lovely place, with a soft 
breeze blowing. 

^' How can those boys run about in 
the sun all the afternoon ! " he said to 



60 SUN-DAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

himself. '^ I am sure I have had enough 
of it, and I have a right to study my 
lesson if I want to." 

Now and then the boys came to him, 
and he wou.ld stop and hsten to them 
or help them ; but soon he was so in- 
terested in his study that they found 
he did not answer them. 

^^ Don't talk to King Harry," said one 
of the boys ; '' don't you see he is sitting 
on his throne, and we needn't trouble 
him." 

^^ I wish he would get my boat out 
of the bushes over there," said Johnny 
Stevens, one of the smallest of the bovs. 
'' I have been poking and poking it^ and 
I can't move it." 

One of the other boys went to help 
him, and together they pushed it out 



KING HAERY. 61 

into the cove again. They followed it 
along the shore, and it went out beyond 
the little bay. 

Johnny climbed the bank to see what 
had become of it, his cousin Alfred with 
him. 

^^ Hurrah!" he exclaimed, ^4t has 
come round the corner into the brook. 
Suppose we push it along out into the 
mill-stream." 

They flung stones after it, and Alfred 
waded out to it and pushed it into the 
middle of the brook. " See, it is going 
finely," he cried; ^4t is sailing round 
the corner." 

Johnny climbed the bank still higher, 
and Ernest followed him, crossing over 
the little point that led to the mill-stream. 
Here the water ran more quickly, and 



62 SUKDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

was deeper, and the little boys had 
never been there before. 

Harry was interrupted in his reading 
by some loud shouts. ^^ Johnny has 
fallen into the water! He has slipped 
down the bank. He is in the mill- 
stream ! " 

Harry flung down his books, and 
rushed up the hill behind, then down 
the other slope on the bank of the 
mill-stream. There indeed was Johnny 
struggling in the water. Harry hur- 
ried down the slippery bank to try to 
reach him before he should be carried 
away by the swift-running stream. The 
water was very high and running over 
the dam below. Harry slipped on the 
bank, but was in time to reach the boy 
and save him. Some men who had 



KING HARRY. 63 

heard the shouts of the boys came to 
help them bring Harry and Johnny to 
the shore. They were safe ; but Harry 
had hurt his foot in the fall^ and was 
carried to his home, faint^ in the aiTQS 
of some men. 

When he oj)ened his eyes^, and found 
his mother watching over him, he ex- 
claimed, '' Ah, Mamma, as they were 
bringing me home, I was too faint to 
speak, but I was thinking all the way 
how disobedient I had been ! And 
when we were whirling in the water, 
and I feared I could never reach Johnny 
to save him, there came murmuring in 
my ears the words I had been learning 
of my Sunday-school lesson : ' Because 
thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, 
he hath also rejected thee fi'om being 



64 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

king.' It was my carelessness that was 
going to cost Johnny's life. So indeed 
they ought to reject me from being 



king, 



> >) 



^^I am afraid stubbornness is one of 
the sins of kings," said his mother, smil- 
ing, ^^ and I am afraid it has been one of 
the faults of my son Harry." 

^' Of the ^ king,' " said Harry, '' but in 
America we should have no kings, and 
I will not be called one till I can rule 
myself. I will not follow the example 
of Saul." 

"Because thou hast rejected the word of the 
Lordy he hath also rejected thee from being 
kingy 



Fourth Sunday in August. 



THE TIRED TRAMP. 

IT E was only a poor, ragged tramp, 
with a wretched, lean dog. His 
shoes were out, his clothes were rag- 
ged, his hair and beard were long. Yet 
his eyes looked clear, and his smile, 
though a little vacant, was sweet. 

^^ Holloa ! " sung out Joe Roberts, as 
he flung a stone, which hit the dog in 
the leg and sent him yelping closer to 
his master's side. 

^' Oh, Joe ! shame on you ! " cried 
Harry Phelps. ^* He didn't do you 
any harm." 



66 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

'^I know he didn% but he might," 
retorted Joe. The boys laughed. But 
Harry looked serious ; he could never 
see any fun in abusing animals. 

^^I think it's a mean thing," Harry 
continued, ^Ho hit a dog or any poor 
animal that does n't harm you." 

The boys began to look ashamed. 
One muttered, ^' He 's only an old 
tramp's dog, anyway.'^ 

'^ Maybe the tramp has feelings like 
other folks/' returned Harry. 

^^ Well, perhaps he has; but he 
doesn't show much," spoke up Cyrus 
Porter. ^^ Did you ever see such a 
shabby old fellow in all your days ! 
What do you s'pose he's good for?" 

The girls came out from school 
and walked on with the boys. Kate 



THE TIRED TRAMP. 67 

Richards had heard the last remark^ 
and joined in the talk. 

'^ ' Good for ! ' If yon should try to 
find out, Cy, what he's good for, in- 
stead of standing there laughing at 
him, you'd know." 

Kate was indignant. Joe looked 
ashamed, and Cyrus kept still. The 
poor old man and his hungry-looking 
dog still were toiling along the dusty 
country road. The children followed, 
chattering, and separating at the houses 
and roads until only Harry and Kate 
were left. As they turned a corner, 
they saw the old man resting on a 
stone at the side of the road. He 
looked at them kindly as they came up 
to him. Even the dog showed a forgiv- 
ing spirit, and wagged his tail feebly. 



68 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

" Can we help you ? " asked Harry, 
noting his feeble look. 

The dull eyes of the old man bright- 
ened, and his face lighted. 

^^ Bless you, my dears ! Perhaps you 
can. Do you know where Squire Phelps 
lives?" 

^^ ' Squire Phelps ' ? '' repeated Harry. 
^' Why J yes. I 'm going right there 
now. He's my grandpa, and Kate's, 
too. I live with him." 

^^Do you?" said the old man, look- 
ing at the boy. "Well, you do favor 
him a little, maybe. He used to be 
an old friend of mine. I've come a 
long way to see him. I'm tired, and 
so 's Jim, I guess ; but I want to see 
the Squire bad before I die. My old 
bones are pretty much worn out." 



THE TIRED TRAMP. 69 

The poor old man sighed, and slowly 
rose from his seat. 

Kate saw then that, although he was 
so shabby, his hands and face were 
clean, and his smile was tender and 
sweet. 

^' I think I can help you," said Harry, 
^' if you will lean on me. I 'm pretty 
strong. 'T isn't very far off now, and 
if you want to see Grandpa you can 
rest on the porch while I find him." 

Gratefully the old man accepted the 
offer. Jim watched every motion un- 
til he felt sure that his master was in 
friendly hands. Then he rapped his 
tail vigorously, and prepared to follow 
on. 

Harry helped the old man up the 
walk, and placed him in a rocking-chair 



70 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

on the piazza^ while Kate called her 
grandfather. 

" What can I do for you 1 " asked Mr. 
Phelps, kindly, after he had sent Kate 
for some lunch. 

The old man looked up with a half- 
vacant, half-hopeful smile, but it died 
away as quickly as it came. 

^^You don't know me, do you, Eob- 
ert ? '^ asked he, tremblingly. 

Mr. Phelps sprang to his feet. 
^' Henry, is it you? Thank Grod that 
we have found you at last ! " He threw 
his arms around the shabby, travel- 
worn old man and hugged him, while 
Jim barked as loud as he knew how. 

^' Children, come here ! " he called to 
Harry and Kate, who had been loiter- 
ing curiously around the porch. "You 



THE TIRED TRAMP. 71 

don't know my old friend here, do 
you ? But did you ever hear of Henry 
Bagley ? '' 

^^The man who saved your life, 
Grandpa ? " asked Harry, with aston- 
ishment. ^^Do you mean the one I 
was named fori " 

^•^The very same, my boy. He was 
the dearest friend I ever knew, and the 
bravest. He gave up his happy home 
and all that made life dear to him to 
serve his country. You know the rest ; 
how wife and child died, how he wan- 
dered from his home, and for years we 
have never seen him, though we have 
hunted everywhere. Thank Heaven ! 
he is here again." 

The old man looked pleased. His 
lips trembled. He could not speak. 



72 SUISTDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

It was a happy coming home. He 
looked from one to the other, could 
only say *^ Robert/' and fainted. 

Tender hands carried the old man 
to the cool, fresh bedroom. Loving 
hearts cared for him, and he recovered. 
Always cheerful, with a simple, happy 
smile on his face, he sits upon the porch 
surrounded by the school-children. He 
is '' Uncle Henry " to them all. Who 
can tell stories as well, or make a boat 
or basket, or who can tame the birds 
and squirrels as he does? ^^ Hurrah 
for Uncle Henry ! " now shout the same 
boys who laughed at the poor tramp 
with the shabby clothes. 

" Man looJceth on the outward appearance, 
but the Lord looketh on the hearth 



First Sunday in September, 



COURAGE. 

T UCY and Ellen looked anxiously 
out of the window. There was 
nothing to be seen but snow. It did 
not look as if Father would be back 
that night ; stilly the children knew he 
would come if he could. Lucy put 
more wood on the fire, and laid the 
table for dinner. There were only 
two places, and the meal was simple. 
The girls were looking for their mother 
home from the East, where she had 
been visiting, and they had a grand 



74 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

feast prepared for supper. Aunt Judith 
had been staying with the children 
while Mrs. Rice was away ; but Mr. 
Rice had taken her home as he went 
to the nearest town to meet his wife. 

The snow came slowly down; the 
flakes grew larger, and it stopped 
snowing. Still the sun did not come 
outj and the afternoon was raw and 
dark. 

^^Lucy/' said Ellen^ ^^it's a long 
time since Father went away. Don't 
you see anything of him coming ? '' 

Lucy shaded her eyes and peered 
over the prairie. 

^^I think I do see something, Ellen/' 
she said presently. ^' Maybe 'tis them. 
Let 's put on some more wood and 
have a bright blaze when they come. 



COURAGE. 75 

It will be so much more cheerful^ you 
know. I guess we won't set the table 
till they get here, but everything is 
all handy in the pantry." 
* The girls flew about, putting the 
chairs back, dusting here and patting 
there, in their anxiety to have every- 
thing in order when their mother should 
come. 

^^ It does n^t look like a horse and 
sleigh," said Lucy, as she came back 
to the window. " It looks more like 
two people. They can't be walking. 
They are — no — yes — oh, Ellen ! — 
it's Indians," Lucy ended, with terror 
in her voice. Ellen began to cry; 
but there w^as no time to lose. Every- 
thing must be fastened up. 

The girls ran and bolted and barred 



76 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

the windows and doors. Then covering 
up the fire so no smoke could be seen, 
they went upstairs. 

^^ Ellen," said Lucy, ^^we must pray 
to God to take care of us." 

^^Will he, Lucy," asked Ellen, be- 
tween her sobs^ ^4f w^e ask him?" 

^'Of course he will," answered Lucy. 
^^If we do all we can, and leave the 
rest in his hands, he'll help us. The 
Bible says so." 

Ellen's face brightened. She knelt 
down by Lucy's side, and they asked 
God's care and protection. They arose 
with more courage, and peeped again 
through the window. 

^^ They 're coming up to the door 
now, Lucy," whispered Ellen. ^^Will 
God send them away ? " 



COURAGE. 77 

^^Keep asking him to/' said Lucy, 
with a pale face, as she heard a thump 
on the door. The pounding ceased, 
and then began again. Then every- 
thing was still. Lucy peeped out, but 
the Indians had disappeared. In a 
moment, however, the pounding was 
heard on the other side. The girls' 
hearts beat hard. What if the strong 
doors should give way ! 

^^God has heard us, hasn't he?" said 
Ellen, when everything was quiet again. 

At a little distance from the back 
door stood a wood-shed. The door 
was open, and as the Indians turned 
around they saw it. Lucy and Ellen, 
with a feeling of relief, saw them make 
their way there. Quietly they watched 
and waited. In a few moments a puff 



78 SUN^DAY-SCHOOL STOEIES. 

of smoke issued from the shed. More, 
and yet more. The shed was on fire ! 

Lucy beheld it with new terror. 
Would God help them ? She knelt again 
and asked his care. A strong wind 
blew the smoke from them. The snow 
on their own roof kept the stray sparks 
from doing harm. If only they would 
be content to go away and do nothing 
more ! What if they should come back ! 
Lucy clasped her hands in agony. 
Now and then she could see them^ 
but they seemed to have forgotten the 
house. Suddenly one of the Indians 
seized a brand and ran toward it. 

Now Lucy's stout heart quailed, and 
Ellen began to cry aloud. God help 
them now ! Suddenly the Indian 
stopped, gave a wild yell, plunged 



COURAGE. 79 

back through the snow, and was lost 
m the smoke. 

'^ Look, look, Lucy! here's some- 
body coming," cried Ellen. ^^Lots of 
people ! Oh ! Lucy, do you dare go 
down and open the door ? " 

Lucy ran to the window, and in the 
growing dusk could see her father's 
sleigh, and also another load of peo- 
ple. Quickly she ran to the door, 
unbolted it, and found herself in her 
mother's arms. 

^^Tell me quick, Lucy; have these 
rascals harmed you ? " asked her father, 
as he prepared to go with the men to 
the burning shed. 

^^No, no, Papa ! " cried Lucy, ^^ but I 
don't know what we would have done 
if God had n't been on our side." 



80 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

^^ Truly lie has been good to us/' 
said her father^ fervently, kissmg her. 

After a short resistance the Indians 
* yielded, and the men took them away. 
The officers had been hunting for 
them for many days. The Indians 
had committed several crimes ; and just 
as Mr. and Mrs. Rice met the men, 
the smoke of the burning shed told 
the story. 

After all, the girls enjoyed their 
supper. Lucy laid the table in the 
prettiest way, and Ellen brought out 
the dainties from the pantry. Papa 
thanked God with a full heart for his 
many blessings. 

''If God he for us^ who can he against us?^^ 



Second Sunday in September, 



THE CLOSE FRIEND. 

'' T DON'T think I have any friend/' 
said little Benjie, one morning, 
in such a doleful tone that his mother 
and brother, who were in the room, 
could not help laughing at him. He 
had been reading over his Sunday- 
school text. 

'' Don't laugh at me/' he said, '^ I 
have a nice brother, I know; but I 
ought to have a friend, in order that 
I can understand the text." 

^' You have ever so many friends in 
this house," "said his brother Harold. 



82 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

^^But I don't have many friends at 
school/' said Benjie. 

^^That is because you are so timid/' 
said Harold; ^^you won't venture to 
speak to anybody." 

^' I can't speak to them," said Benjie, 
^'unless I have something to say." 

'^ Let me read you the whole of the 
text that you are studying, from Prov- 
erbs," said his mother. And she read: 
^^^A man that hath friends must show 
himself friendly; and there is a friend 
that sticketh closer than a brother.' " 

''Now," she went^on, ''perhaps you 
have not shown yourself ^friendly' to 
the other boys at school. You know 
we must all help each other, and be 
as kind and friendly to others as we 
wish them to be to us." 



THE CLOSE FEIEXD. 83 

It was that very day^ as he was 
going to school, that Benjie met one 
of the older boys standing by the 
roadside. He was just about climbing 
a tree. 

^^I have got into trouble/' said 
George. '' I was flinging up my cap, 
and now it is caught in the tree, and 
I must climb up after it." 

" Can you reach it ? " asked Benjie. 

^' If that little branch will bear my 
heavy weight," he answered; ^^but I 
am afraid it won't." 

^^I am so very little," said Benjie, 
^^ perhaps it will bear me, and I can 
reach it. I am very timid, but I can 
climb a tree." 

Benjie did not know very well what 
" timid ■' meant, but he knew that his 



84 SUJ^DAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

brother, when he used the word in the 
morning, had expressed the feeling that 
he had about the other boys, and that 
he now felt about climbing the tree. 

^^I think you are very plucky," said 
George, ^^and I will take you up into 
the tree with me, and I will hold on 
to you, so that you need not fall." 

So the two boys went up the tree 
together, and George put Benjie out 
on the little branch. Benjie had to 
climb out to the end, and George 
could not keep his hold of him, and 
the little branch rocked up and down 
with his weight. But he held on 
bravely, and reached the cap at last, 
and handed it back to George, who 
took him in his arms, carrying him 
down to the ground. 



THE CLOSE FKIE:^rD. 85 

A little crowd of tlie schoolboys, 
meanwhile^ had gathered round, on 
their way to school. 

" What a brave little fellow ! " '' Was 
not he plucky ! " were the exclama- 
tions Benjie heard, as George set him 
down upon his feet among the boys. 
He was all pale and trembling him- 
self, and George held him by his 
hand all the way to school. 

^^ That was kind and friendly of 
you," said George, '' and I shall never 
forget it. If you want a friend you 
must remember I will stick by you 
through everything. You didn't want 
to do that thing, and you did what 
you were afraid to do, out of real 
kindness." 

When Benjie came home from school, 



86 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

quite a number of the boys came with 
him. 

Harold ran into the house first, and 
told his mother the story. 

" Benjie has made a whole schoolful 
of friends already," he said ; '' they 
are all admiring him because he was 
so 'plucky/ and such a little fellow, 
too." 

Benjie was glad to tell the story to 
his mother in his own way. 

^' Mamma, there is one thing," he 
said, '^ I was pretty frightened when 
we were going up the tree, but I was 
frightenedest when I had to go out on 
the little branch of the tree. It went 
up and down, just as I think a ship 
does ; and I came near letting go of 
the branch, just because I was afraid. 



THE CLOSE frie:n^d. 87 

Then I saw a little sparrow jumping 
round in the next tree, and I remem- 
bered what you read about not even 
a sparrow falling to the ground without 
our Father's knowing. It all came 
sudden, Mamma, that I thought he 
was the Friend who would stick close 
to me. And I held on, thinking, ^ I 
can hold on better than a sparrow,' 
and I thought of the Friend who was 
helping me. It all came very quick, 
but it made me hold on, so that I 
did not fall to the ground." 

^^So then you have learned the 
text," said his mother, ^^ and my boy 
has found the ^friend that sticketh 
closer than even a brother."' 

" There is a friend that sticJceth closer than 
a hrothery 



Third Sunday in September. 



COALS OF FIRE. 

" T KNOW I put it in my desk, Miss 
Gray, and now ^t is gone." 

Miss Gray looked very serious while 
the little girl was speaking. 

^^Be careful, Ethel; sometimes little 
girls are mistaken. I do not like to 
think that any little boy or girl here 
would take even a part of your lunch. 
Perhaps you left the currant-cake on 
the table, and forgot to put it in." 

But Ethel only shook her head, and 
said she was sure she brought it to 
school. 



COALS OF FIRE. 89 

The girls clustered about Ethel, and 
Miss Gray glanced anxiously around to 
see in some face something that would 
tell if there were a guilty one among 
them. Suddenly she turned away. She 
had seen a little flushed, restless face 
which told the story too plainly for her 
to doubt. She resolved to wait and 
have a little talk with her that night 
after school. 

Just before recess was ended, Ethel 
came running to Miss Gray to speak 
to her. 

^^I 've found out who 't is. Miss Gray. 
'T is that horrid Mahala Smith ; we 
found some of the crumbs in her desk, 
and a currant, too. She has been real 
mad with me ever since I went above 
her in the spelling class." 



90 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

'^ Don't say that, Etliel^ dear ! Be 
very careful how you accuse anybody." 

^^But I'm sure she did it, and I'll 
pay her back somehow. See if I don't ! " 
and Ethel's little face looked very 
angry. 

" What do you mean by Spaying her 
back/ Ethel I " asked Miss Gray, rather 
sadly. 

'' I mean I '11 do something hateful 
to her. 'T is n't the first time she 's 
done ugly things. She knocked my 
ball out of the way yesterday, when 
I had caught it ninety-eight times, 
and she knew I was trying to reach 
a hundred." 

'' That was hard, Ethel ; but there is 
a better way of ^ paying back/ as you 
call it, than to do * something hateful. 



COALS OF FIRE. 91 

Suppose you do something very nice 
for Mahala, and see how she will 
take it." 

^^I don't want to do anything nice. 
She 'd like it." 

^^ Perhaps she wouldn't like it," an- 
swered Miss Gray, smiling. ^' Perhaps 
she would feel ashamed. Perhaps she 
would see how naughty she had been, 
and try to do better in the future. You 
think about it, and don't do anything 
nor talk to the girls about it before 
you have decided." 

Miss Gray waited till noon the next 
day, and then joined Ethel as she was 
walking home. As soon as the other 
girls left them Miss Gray said, — 

'' Well, Ethel, how is it about Mahala 
Smith? Will you try what the Bible 



92 su:n'day-school stories. 

calls heaping ^ coals of fire ' on her 
head?" 

Ethel looked a little unforgiving 
still. 

" I told Mamma all about it last nighty 
Miss Gray, and she said just what you 
did. I don't want to have anything 
to do with her, but I suppose you 
know best. I hope she won't spoil 
it all." 

'^ Spoil what ? " inquired Miss Gray. 

^' I forgot you did n't know about it, 
Miss Gray/' answered Ethel. ^^ You 
know I was sick on my birthday, and 
so Mamma said she would have a little 
picnic for me next week, and she thinks 
I had better ask Mahala." 

'^ By all means ask her. That is just 
the thing," answered Miss Gray, cheer- 



COALS OF FIRE. 93 

fully. ^' She won't spoil it. Don't be 
afraid." 

Ethel's face brightened at Miss Gray's 
pleasant words and manner ; and though 
she did n't want to ask Mahala, she 
bravely made up her mind she would 
do so. 

That afternoon at recess Ethel called 
the girls around her. ^^ Come, too, 
Mahala," said she, as Mahala Smith 
turned away ; ^^ 't is for you too. I 
am going to have a little picnic over 
at Evergreen Woods, and I want 
every one of you to come. Mamma 
is going to provide the lunch, and I 
want every one of you;" and Ethel 
unconsciously emphasized the ^^ every 
one of you." 

^' How splendid ! Lovely ! " cried her 



94 SUIS'D AY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

little companions. But Mahala Smith 
did not say a word. 

"• Don't you tliink 't is lovely, Ma- 
hala % " asked one of the girls, eagerly. 

Miss Gray, who stood a little way oiF, 
listened anxiously for Mahala's reply. 

'' Yes," answered Mahala, with an ef- 
fort ; " but I don't know as I can go." 

^^ Can't go ! " exclaimed the girls in 
chorus, and Ethel looked up to see who 
could n't go. She caught a look in Ma- 
hal a's face that made her say, — 

'^ Oh ! do, Mahala. We re going to 
have a holiday then, and we '11 have 
such a good time ! " 

Mahala turned away; and as she 
turned, stubbed her toe against the leg 
of a desk, and fell. Ethel sprang to 
help her. 



COALS OF FIRE. 95 

^^ Did you hurt you, Maliala ? " slie 
exclaimed, but Mahala did not answer 
her. Miss Gray raised her from the 
floor, while Ethel ran for water and 
bathed her head. 

As Mahala opened her eyes she saw 
Ethel. She shut them tight again, as if 
she did not wish to see her. But again 
she opened them^ and saw her still bend- 
ing over her. She put out her hand, 
drew her head down, and kissed her. 

Ethel had overcome evil with good ; 
and instead of enmity. Miss Gfay saw 
with pleasure a friendship once more 
between the two girls. 

" Be not overcome of evil^ hut overcome evil 
with goodr 



Fourth Sunday in Septembert 



THE BROKEN JAR. 

^^ nPAKE me up in your lap, Mamma, 
and tell me a story," said little 
Annie to her mother. " Make it a true 
story about when you were a little 
girl." 

Mrs. Wethrell put down her sewing, 
and picked up her little girl and began 
her story in the way that Annie liked 
best : — 

^^Once upon a time, when I was a 
little girl about seven years old^ Aunt 
Phebe asked Mamma to let me go and 



THE BROKEN" JAR. 97 

make her a visit. I was wild to go. 
Aunt Phebe lived in the country, where 
there was green grass, and birds, and 
squirrels ; and then she had a horse, so 
we could go driving, and a cow that 
had a wee little calf, and a pig, and a 
dog, and I don't know what else. I 
remembered, too, that once before when 
I was there we had a picnic, and it 
seemed to me I never had such a good 
time. 

^^ We lived in the city. I had a pet 
kitty, and that was all. There was little 
green grass and few trees or birds ; and 
I was a little girl who loved all these 
things, and it seemed to me Aunt Phebe 
lived in a sort of fairy-land. 

" Well, my mother gave her consent, 
and I was just wild with joy. I flew 



98 SUN'D AY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

about the house as if I had had wings. 
I picked up Pettitoes, my little kitten, 
and held her ju^t as long as I could sit 
still, and told her all about my visit 
to Aunt Phebe and what I should see 
there. I never thought that perhaps 
poor Pettitoes would miss me when I 
was gone. I was so excited that I 
hardly knew what I was doing, and in 
one of my sudden darts I ran against a 
table and knocked over a glass jar. 

^^Now I had no right to be in that 
little study. It was the place where 
my father spent a good deal of time, 
and had some chemical jars and instru- 
ments. I was forbidden to go there ; 
but the door was wide open, and I 
danced in, and in turning, knocked over 
the jar and broke it. 



THE BROKEN JAR. 99 

^^ I was frightened, and ran away as 
quickly as I could. But I didn't go 
and tell my mother. I knew I had 
been doing wrong, and I did n't like to 
tell her. Then, too, the putting the 
last things into my trunk drove it right 
out of my mind, and I forgot it till I 
was in the carriage. 

^' While John was strapping on the 
trunk, Father came to the door with a 
bit of the jar in his hand. I couldn't 
hear what he said ; but I saw Mother 
looked vexed, and I heard her say: 

^^ ^ Mary (that was the girl) grows 
more careless — ' and the rest was lost 
to me. John had climbed up, cracked 
his whip, and Aunt Phebe and I had 
started. 

^^ When' we got in the cars, every- 



100 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

thing was so new that I forgot how 
naughty I had been. Only once in a 
while it would come over me, and the 
grass would not look quite as green 
nor the sky quite as blue as I had 
expected. 

^^At night we arrived at Bryndale. 
It was late, and I was very tired ; so 
Aunt Phebe put me to bed, and I fell 
asleep. When I awoke it was broad 
sunlight. I rushed to the window and 
saw how lovely it all was ; but just then 
something seemed to whisper, *Who 
broke the jar?' You don't know, 
Annie, how dull the grass and sky 
became. The robins that had been 
chirping so brightly seemed to say, 
^Va-ase, va-ase' in a cold, unfeeling 
sort of tone. 



THE BROKEN" JAR. 101 

^^I dressed myself and went down- 
stairs to find Aunt Pliebe, and after 
breakfast we went out to see the cow 
and all the chickens. But every now 
and then the cloud would come and the 
brightness go out of my day. 

'' When night came, I went to bed 
early. I told Aunt Phebe I was tired. 
I think I was ; but I was disappointed, 
and nothing seemed as pleasant to me 
as I had anticipated. I could not go 
to sleep. I kept hearing Mother say, 
' Mary grows more careless ; ' and I 
wondered if she would send Mary away. 
Oh ! why did n't I tell her when I 
could ? It seemed as if I could not 
stand it; I must go home and say I 
did it ; and I suppose I sobbed. At any 
rate Aunt Phebe came to the bed and 



102 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

said, ' Why, what is the matter with 
my little Margaret? Why isn't she 
asleep ? ' 

^^I muttered some sort of an answer; 
but she sat down beside me and began 
to talk of all sorts of things, until at 
last I gained courage and told my 
story. 

^' ' Dear little Margaret/ said Aunt 
Phebe (I can hear now how sweetly 
she said it), ^I am so sorry for you; 
but to-morrow you can write and tell 
your mother all about it. Tell the 
whole story, dear, just as you have 
told it to me, and say to her that 
Aunt Phebe says you have learned 
one text in the Bible since you have 
been here.' 

^' Then she kissed me good-night and 



THE BROKEN JAR. 103 

I went off to sleep. For the rest of my 
visit everything was lovely." 

'^s that all, Mamma?" 

'' Yes. Think it over and see if you 
know the text." 

" TTie face of the Lord is against them that 
do evil.'''' 



Fifth Sunday in September. 



BARBARA'S MISSION. 

" T WOULD not have anything to 
do with her. The neighbors all 
say she is dreadful cross/' said Jack 
Merriam to his sister. '' You will only 
get a scolding." 

^' What are you talking about ? " said 
Mrs. Merriam, coming into the room. 
^^I do not like to hear you call any of 
our neighbors ^ dreadful cross.' It does 
not sound kind ; and we have lived here 
such a little while, you cannot judge 
your neighbors." 



Barbara's mission. 105 

" Oh, Mamma, it is that poor Mrs. 
Beliada CoUins, who lives in the small 
white house round the corner of the 
road," said little Barbara Merriam. ^^I 
have seen her every day as I go to 
school, sitting all alone by her window, 
sewing, day after day. And I told Jack 
I wanted to take her some of my red 
poppies that have lasted along so in 
my garden." 

^^Who is Mrs. Collins ?" said Mr. 
Merriam, looking up from his news- 
paper. ^^ I have noticed the little 
house ; it looks very neat there always, 
but it has a deserted air. I never 
have seen anybody going out or in, 
but this poor woman, as Barbara 
says, sitting alone, sewing, at her 
window. Can't we do anything for 



106 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

her ? Can't we send her something 
nice % " 

'' I am afraid not/' said Mrs. Merriam ; 
^' for it is true the neighbors all say she 
does not like to receive visitors, and 
that she is particularly unkind to chil- 
dren. She is very well off, they say. 
She has a son who is doing well at 
work in the telegraph office ; but he is 
away all day. She keeps her house in 
nice order^ and does sewing for one of 
the stores, for occupation, more than 
because it is necessary. She was very 
indignant, they say, the other day, 
when the minister's wife sent in to her 
a new pudding she had been making. 
She sent it back with the message that 
it had better be sent to the poor; that 
she had all the puddings slie wanted." 



Barbara's missio:n'. 107 

Barbara listened with large^ open 
eyes, her poppies in her hand. 

^' Mamma, I think she ought to be 
visited more than ever," she said, '' if 
she has all the puddings and every- 
thing she wants, and yet looks as sad 
as that all the time. She ought to look 
glad and grateful ; for there is Patty 
Simmons, Mamma, has pudding only 
once a week, and that is on Sunday, 
and yet she is always so jolly. But 
perhaps it makes Mrs. Collins sad to 
be named Beliada. It is a longer- 
sounding name than Barbara. May I 
go. Mamma, with my poppies ? And I 
might tell her my name is something 
like hers." 

Mrs. Merriam thought nobody could 
resist Barbara's sweet, winning face and 



108 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

voice, SO she let her go for her visit 
with the poppies. Much to her sur- 
prise, Barbara was gone a long time. 
She came back late in the afternoon, 
without her poppies. 

^^ Oh, Mamma ! " she exclaimed, when 
her mother asked about her visit; ^4t 
seems Mrs. Collins does not like flow- 
ers at all^ — she does not like any flow- 
ers, and she especially dislikes poppies, 
just because they have such a bright 
color. So I had to find a place to 
hide them away where she would not 
see them; and that was in her son's 
room, because she does not go into 
it after she has cleared it up in tlie 
morning. But oh, Mamma ! I found 
out why she does not want visitors; it 
is because she is so deaf I think she 



Barbara's mission. 109 

is deaf; though she heard better after 
I had been there a httle while. When 
I first went in, she just sat by the win- 
dow, sewing and sewing, and could not 
hear a word I said. So I put the pop- 
pies in a pitcher there was there, and 
then she told me how she didn't like 
flowers, and how she had the pitcher 
to drink out of So I took them out, 
and with a great deal of screaming I 
asked about where I should take them. 
And when I came back, I found out 
something, — that she could hear me 
singing better than she could hear me 
talking and screaming. So I began to 
sing to her some of the Psalms, — some 
of the thankful Psalms, because she 
says she has so many things ; and I 
said I supposed she would like to be 



110 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

thankful, the way David was. And so 
it was settled, Mamma, if you don't ob- 
ject, I am to go in every day after 
school, in the afternoon, and sing to 
her, I sit up in the window, in a high 
seat, by her best ear; and you must 
help me to think of all the tliankfullest 
liymns that you know." 

A few days after, Mrs. Merriam went 
to see her neighbor. Barbara had 
brought her an invitation to come some 
afternoon. She found her little girl 
perched on a stool in the window-seat, 
singing with a loud voice. 

Mrs, Collins came to the door to wel- 
come Mrs. Merriam, as she had never 
before welcomed a neighbor. 

'^ Your little girl is teaching me how 
to praise," she said, with tears in her 



Barbara's mission. Ill 

eyes. ^^Ever since my little girl died, 
I have shut myself up in my sorrow; 
but your little Barbara, with her sweet 
voice, has been like a missionary in 
my home, where I was forgetting to 
thank God for all that I still have. 
She has made me remember even my 
own son, whom I was forgetting to 
care for in my grief and ingratitude." 

^' And, Mamma/' said Barbara, ^^ Mrs. 
Collins has been singing with me^ and 
her voice is so sweet; and we have 
been singing together, ' Let the people 
praise thee, God; let all the people 
praise thee ! ' " 

''Let the people praise tJiee^ Grod ; let all 
the people praise thee ! " 



First Sunday in October. 



THE LITTLE BEEBES. 

'' V\7HAT is the matter?" said Mrs. 
Beebe to her children, as she 
came into the room. 

There were so many of the children ! 
For there was a very large family of 
the Beebes, — the neighbors called them 
the Bees, for short ; and their house 
went by the name of the Bee-Hive, 
for there were always so many things 
going on there. Everybody w^as very 
busy ; Mr. and Mrs. Beebe were al- 
ways busy, and all the children Beebes 
were busy. There were Natty and 



THE LITTLE BEEBES. 113 

Harry, and George and Sammy, and 
Jane and Lucy. Nobody could remem- 
ber all their names at once, there were 
so many of them. Yet there never was 
any trouble ; they were always jolly, 
always helping one another, always in 
fun, — so they always had been. And 
it was a surprise to Mrs. Beebe to find 
they were in trouble, and she asked 
again, ^^What is the matter?" 

^^ Oh, Mamma ! '' exclaimed Natty, 
"it is all on account of Egbert. It is 
because he has come home we are 
always in trouble now " 

Then there came a clatter of voices. 

" He has drunk up all Tommy's tum- 
bler of milk ! " ^^ Tommy is crying 
because he has not got any milk ! " 
" It 's Tommy ! " " It 's the milk ! " 



114 SUN-DAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

'^ But, Egbert^ did not you have a 
tumbler of milk ? " Mrs. Beebe had a 
chance to say, at last. 

^^ Oh, yes," said Egbert; '^but I 
wanted another. It 's a free country, 
and Tommy is a little fellow, and he 
does not need so much milk.'' 

" It was Tommy's milk." ^' Tommy 
has not got any/' the other children 
continued to exclaim. 

" What do you mean by a free coun- 
try I " asked Mrs. Beebe of Egbert, when 
she could find a chance to be heard. 

^^ Oh ! I am an American ; I stand by 
the Declaration of Independence," said 
Egbert ; " that 's good enough for me. 
I live in a free country." 

" But tell me, what does the Declara* 
tion say ? " asked Mrs. Beebe ; " does 



THE LITTLE BEEBES. 115 

it say you are free to drink up Tommy's 
milk ? " 

" Oh, it says all men are born free 
and equal," said Egbert. 

" Oh, that is it;' said Mrs. Beebe. " It 
is not Egbert Beebe alone that is born 
free, but all men ! You forgot that part. 
What becomes of Tommy's right to his 
milk?" 

" But he 's so small, he does not need 
so much milk as I," persisted Egbert. 

" But what does ' equal ' mean ? " 
asked Mrs. Beebe. " You agree that all 
men are born free and equal. What 
does the word mean ? " 

" Oh, it means ^ all the same thing,' — 
^ about the same,'" said Egbert. 

Natty had found the dictionary, and 
read out : " Equals ' like another.' " 



116 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

" You see you forgot about the ' an- 
other ' part. You were thmking of your> 
self alone ; and that is what a free-born 
American^ who believes in the ' Declara- 
tion of Independence/ can't do. For 
he can't call himself equal without 
thinking of others. You can't be ^ equal' 
all alone by yourself But you have 
been living all these years at your 
uncle' S; — the only boy there, — and 
you have forgotten the whole family of 
brothers that have as many rights as 
you have." 

Mrs. Beebe was giving Tommy an- 
other tumbler of milk, and the other 
children had swarmed off, out of the 
room. 

" ' A family of brothers ! ' I should 
think so," Egbert muttered to himself, 



THE LITTLE BEEBES. 117 

as he left the house. He took his way 
to the boat-house. Each of the older 
boys had his own boat, and Egbert 
flung himself into his boat, and rowed 
himself out of the little stream into the 
wide river; and in his indignation he 
took himself far up the river, then 
turned to float down, pulling a book out 
of his pocket. 

"What is the use of being bothered 
by such a little set of midges ! " he said, 
and began to read. 

Presently he heard a sound behind 
him, and looked back to see a steam- 
boat approaching. In his hurry and 
awkwardness, — for he had not been 
rowing lately, — he let one of his oars 
slip into the water ; then, in his efforts 
to reach after it, he lost the other. 



118 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. ^ 

^^ That was stupid/' he thought; ^^now 
how am I to get out of it?" 

There was danger that he would not 
drift down toward his landing-place 
before the steamer should come up to 
him, and draw his boat into its eddy ; 
and they might not see him from the 
steamer. " Holloa ! " he heard from the 
shore, and looking up, he saw — as he 
told his mother afterward — what looked 
like a band of little elves. 

" And all working for me, Mamma," 
he went on ; ^' all ready to do some- 
thing, Sammy was screaming out to 
me : ' Natty is going to swim out with a 
rope in his mouth ; and Harry, he 's 
stoutest, and he 's chunky, and he '11 
pull on the other end of the rope ; and 
Jane and Lucy are going to run for 



THE LITTLE BEEBES. 119 

lielp; but I can do the screaming part, 
for I have such a loud voice.' And so 
he went off screaming. And Natty did 
come out to the boat, though the drift 
was taking me off-shore, and I do beheve 
he had the rope in his mouth. Anyhow, 
he got into the boat, and we pulled the 
rope, and Harry and George held on 
manfully, — tumbling over on their 
backs with the strain ; but they got us 
in just as Lucy and Jane appeared with 
some men, and they were all so jolly 
about it. I saw that the ^ equal ' part 
was the best part, — every one thinking 
of the other." 

^^ That is the ^ unity' part," said his 
mother ; ^^ living in unity. That is 
what will make the United States a 
powerful nation, so long as it lives in 



120 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

unity, and each State helps the other. 
It is just the same in the family. It is 
being ' in unity ' that makes it good and 
pleasant to live together." 

^^ Behold how good and how pleasant it is 
for brethren to dwell together in unityJ^ 



Second Sunday in Octobert 



CONTENTMEXT BETTER THAN 
RICHES. 

'' T WISH I had a velocipede ! Some 
of the boys have got 'em. There 's 
a boy going down the street on one. 
What a good time he is having ! " 

Mrs. Cameron sat by the window 
sewing. She had heard all her little 
boy had said. She looked out and 
saw the boy whirling down the street, 
but she said nothing. 

Frank went on with his play. All 
was quiet for a moment. Only the 
fire snapped, and the clock ticked. 



122 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

^^I wish I had a jig-saw^ Mamma. 
Ned Van Ness has one. He can do all 
sorts of things with it. He made a 
real handsome bracket for his mother. 
I wish I had one." 

Still Mrs. Cameron went on with 
her sewing and did not answer. She 
looked from her window across to 
Mrs. Van Ness's handsome house, but 
she did not envy her rich neighbor, 
with all her wealth, which enabled 
her to gratify her boy in so many 
ways. 

'^ Mamma," said Frank again, in a 
few minuteS; " Ned Van Ness has a little 
printing-press. He printed some cards 
the other day. I wish I had a print- 
ing-press." 

" Is there anything more my boy 



CONTENTMENT BETTEE THAN RICHES. 123 

would like ? " asked his mother, smil- 
ing^ when he had wished for the third 
time for something that Ned Van Ness 
possessed. 

^^Oh, dear! yes, — lots of things. 
If I were Ned, I should have such a 
good time/' answered Frank, readily. 

^^And would you like to be NedV 
asked his mother. 

Frank did not answer at once ; he 
was thinking. But his mother repeated 
the question, and waited for his answer. 

^^Well, no. Not exactly. But he has 
everything," said Frank, hesitatingly. 

^^ Has he ? " said Mrs. Cameron. 

^^ Why, yes, Mamma. You don't 
know everything he has. There's the 
loveliest set of tools, and everv new 
game that comes out; and his uncle 



124 SUIS'DAY-SCHOOL STOEIES. 

sent Mm some lovely pigeons last 
week. I wish I had some." 

^^I suppose he is very happy^ isn't 
he ? '' said his mother. 

^^Why, no, he isn't/' answered 
Frank. ^^He doesn't seem to care for 
them. He's always wanting something 
else." 

^^You don't mean it!" said his 
mother, pretending she was surprised. 
'^ But he must be good-natured, when 
everybody is so fond of him, and 
always giving him things." 

^^ Mamma, I believe he's the crossest 
boy I ever saw. He 's just g^s touchy 
as he can be, and he won't lend a 
single thing he 's got. He 's a real 
selfish old thing ! " Frank for the 
moment forgot Ned's possessions, in 



COI^TENTMENT BETTEK THAN RICHES. 125 

thinking how he saw him take more 
than half a banana that morning, when 
a little boy held it out to him to take 
a bite. The little boy did n't often 
have a banana^ and it tasted so good 
to him, that he thought everybody 
ought to enjoy a bite too ; and so 
when Ned came and asked for a piece, 
he held it out to him. The little boy 
almost cried. Frank was indignant, 
but Ned said, " Well, what did he 
hold it out for if he did n't want me to 
take it ? " And without saying " Thank 
you/' he walked off. 

^^On the whole, Frank, I don't be- 
lieve Ned has a very good time in 
this world," said his mother ^^You 
say yourself he is cross and selfish 
and discontented. He doesn't know 



126 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

the pleasure of giving to otlier people, 
or of making them happy. Look at 
your sister just coming up the steps. 
She has a bunch of flowers she has 
picked for me, and that library book 
in her hand that you wanted so much 
to read. See dear little baby, just 
waking up ! There is n't much he can 
do, but he smiles, and crows, and gives 
all the pleasure he can. Poor Ned! 
I 'm afraid there is nobody in all that 
grand house who tries to make some- 
body else happy. Don't envy him, 
Frank. Would you exchange your 
happy home for his rich one ? Run 
away now, and do that errand I asked 
you to do for me ; and remember that 
riches do not bring happiness always. 
It is love that does that." 



co:n'te]N'tment better than riches. 127 

Frank picked up his marbles, kissed 
the baby, seized his cap, and ran on 
his errand. His mother smiled as he 
went out, and remembered with pleas- 
ure how few Frank's fits of discontent 
were, how quickly he was over them, 
and what a loving, obedient boy he 
was. 

^' Lucy," she said, ^^ was it all right 
about the velocipede?" 

^' Yes, Mamma, the man has it at 
the station. 'T is a beauty. Frank 
will be so surprised. The man will 
send it right over as soon as Frank is 
away. Shall I run and tell him now ? " 

" Yes, dear, run quickly. It will, 
indeed, be a surprise," said Mrs. Came- 
ron. '' He has wanted one so much ; 
but, of course, we could not afford it. 



128 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

It was SO good of your aunt to think 
of it. We are, indeed^ surrounded by 
loving friends which are better than 
great riches." 

" The Lord lovetTi the gates of Zion more 
than all the dwellings of Jacob. "^^ 



Third Sunday in October. 



ROGER'S PROCESSION. 

'' n^HEY all think it is going to be 
a thanksgiving day with me," 
said Roger to his brother, who had 
brought him downstairs in his arms, 
and with their mother's help was ar- 
ranging him on a sofa in the parlor. 
'^ Everybody has been very kind to 
me, so I know I ought to give thanks. 
It has been much like the fairy stories, 
only not quite the same. Just let me 
read you what Mary was reading to 
me yesterday. I wished such things 



130 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

could happen now. It was about a 
king : — 

'' 'He had a wonderful grain of corn, and he 
pulled out of it a long picture ; he unrolled it, 
and unrolled it, and there it had painted on it 
all tlie birds and animals and fishes in the world, 
and all the trees and the plants, and the fruits 
and the rocks, and the shells, and the sun and 
moon and the sea and the stars, and all the 
kings and the queens, and insects, and grown 
people and children, — not the smallest little 
boy was forgotten.'" 

^^Go on," said his brother, as Eoger 
stopped to take breath ; ^^ I am listen- 
ing. What else?" 

^^I can't remember them all, but I 
think there were more; and I wished 
it were real true." 

^^I will tell you a fairy story," said 
his brother. ^^ Once there was a boy, 



Roger's processio:^^. 131 

and his name was Roger; and he broke 
his leg running out into the street to 
stop a horse that came near trampling 
on a little girl ; and the little girl would 
have been killed, but he stopped the 
horse — '^ 

^^That is not a fairy story/' inter- 
rupted Roger. ^' That 's me — and what 
really happened. I don't want to hear 
what happened; I want it to be all 
fairy, or like the ' Djinns ' I was telling 
Mary about, — the wonderful people 
that do wonderful things in the ^ Tales 
of the Arabian Nights.'" 

^^ But you have not let me finish the 
story," said his brother; ^^I had not 
reached the ' fairy ' part. And if you 
had been in a fairy story, you wouldn't 
have said, ^That's me,' but * That's I,' 



132 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

or ^I was the person.' You must not 
talk that way to fairies, and you must 
learn how to receive them; for I was 
going on to tell how this boy had most 
wonderful friends, who did most won- 
derful things, and who brought him 
remarkable presents from all over the 
world, — such presents as the fairies 
and the ^ Djinns ' never dreamed of. 
And if you will really believe it, I 
think I hear some of tliem knocking at 
the door just now." 

^' There is the strangest sound/' said 
Eoger; ^^ what can it be? It sounds 
like a great many feet in the entry. 
It is time for the boys to be at home 
from school; but the noise is not like 
boys' feet. There seem to be so many 
feet ! " 



kogek's pkocession. 133 

There was a most remarkable clatter 
to be heard, and as if strange things 
were tumbling against the door, which 
opened presently, and Eoger's older 
brother, Sam, put in his head. 

*' Here are some friends of yours/' he 
said, ^^ determined to come and see you ; 
I suppose I must let them in." He 
opened the door, and there swarmed in 
quite a little flock of sheep, looking 
very much frightened, but tumbling 
into the room, because they didn't 
know what else to do. 

What was odd, some of them began 
to talk: ^^I gave you your mittens," 
said one ; ^^ That coat you have on 
came from my back," said another; 
^^It was my wool made your stock- 
ings," said another. They went troop- 



134 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

ing tlirough the room, out of another 
door. 

^'That was Jack Stoddard's voice," 
said Roger, much interested, ^^and 
Ned's, too; but some of them were 
real sheep." He hardly had time to 
say anything, however, when the door 
opened again, and some geese and 
hens came cackling in. 

'^ Oh, all the animals of the earth are 
coming ! " exclaimed Roger, growing ex- 
cited ; ^^ and these are real hens and 
geese, all but that large one; and his 
voice is so like Fred Jones." This one 
was screaming, ^^ We gave you your 
soft pillows ; we gave you the eggs you 
have eaten every day." By this time 
Roger's sisters had come in, and some 
cousins, and they helped the crowd of 



Roger's processioit. 135 

hens and geese to find the way out, 
across the room. 

Next came bounding in two live 
calves; one of them had a paper tied 
about his neck, and Roger could read 
on it : ^' Our mother gives you your 
milk, and our brothers made your 
shoes." 

^^ How they do clatter!" exclaimed 
Roger ; and he was so busy watching 
them that he was hardly aware of a 
great scratching at the door, which 
opened, and in came a great bear. 

^' Oh, my bear-skin tippet ! '' exclaimed 
Roger. ^' Thank you, Mr. Bear; but do 
not come too near, you look so large." 
And everybody was glad when he 
walked out of the door. 

^^Ah! I begin to understand," said 



136 SUIS'DAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

Roger, ^^ what Mary meant, and Mamma, 
when they said we had things happen 
nowadays as remarkable as the fairy 
stories, and all these animals and things 
are telling me about it." For there still 
came in a procession of large animals 
and little ones, — the great elephant 
that gave the handle of his tooth-brush ; 
the camel that gave him his paint- 
brushes. Even Fido, the dog^ drew 
in a cart full of oysters in their shells. 

Then there was a great sound of the 
telephone in the entry. '' The tele- 
phone has been mended, then ! " cried 
Roger. 

'^AU in honor of your thanksgiving 
day," said Sam, who went into the 
entry, where he could talk through the 
telephone. He came back with a mes- 



eoger's processio:n'. 137 

sage. ^^It is from Aunt Rebecca," he 
saidj ^^who says that Jack is to be at 
home to-day, and will come to see you 
this very afternoon, — two days from 
Arkansas, brought by one of the most 
remarkable ' Djinns ' that ever existed." 

'^ Oh, she means the steam-engine ! " 
said Roger; ^^ and it has brought the 
dearest cousin I have in the world all 
these thousands of miles in two days." 

^^ You see," said his mother, ^^ you can 
rejoice and give thanks for more than 
your fairy tale told you." 

^^ I see. Mamma," said Roger; ^^for 
here come in the baskets of fruit, and 
the flowers and plants ; and you and 
Papa are my king and queen ; and now 
Jack is coming, — ' not the smallest lit- 
tle boy is forgotten.' So indeed, I will 



138 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

not forget the text you read me to-day, 
to ' rejoice alway, in everything to 
give thanks ; ' for there are so many 
things to thank for." 

" In everything give thanks : for this is the 
will of Grod in Christ Jesus concerning you^ 



Fourth Sunday in October. 



THE STREET-SWEEPER. 

^^ T T E 'LL never come back ; see if 
he does," said Jim Murphy to 
his companion;, a ragged little street- 
sweeper. 

^^Yes, he will, too. He said he 
would/' answered the other, with some 
spirit. 

'' Lots of 'em say it/' said Jim, ^^ but 
they don't come. Don't you believe it." 

Pat Grant gave a twist to his old cap. 

^^ You may say what you Ve a mind 
to, Jim Murphy. He's a gentleman, 
he is, and I know he '11 come back." 



140 SUI^DAY-SCHOOL STOEIES. 

'^ Well, you just wait there till he 
does," retorted Jim, and he started 
whistling down the street. 

It was a nasty, sloppy day. The 
boys had swept the crossing for few 
thanks and little money. Jim Murphy 
was discouraged. He wanted to try 
their luck somewhere else. But Pat 
wouldn't leave. A gentleman, as he 
crossed, had put his hand into his 
pocket to find a penny for Pat. He 
drew it out empty and looked disap- 
pointed. 

" Never mind, my boy ! " he found 
time to say, '' I 'm coming back soon, 
and I won't forget you." 

People often said something like that, 
but never came back, or, if they did, 
did not remember the street-sweepers ; 



THE STREET-SWEEPER. 141 

but Pat was sure this man would do as 
he said. He liked the broad, pleasant 
smile. The remembrance of the face 
stayed by hhn, and in spite of Jim's 
jeers he would n't leave the crossing. 
He wanted to see that smile once more. 

Poor Pat ! he was doomed to disap- 
pointment, and Jim laughed at him for 
his folly. He did n't like to be laughed 
at, but he clung to the hope that the 
gentleman would return. He would 
not leave the crossing, and eyed more 
sharply than ever every man wdio 
passed. 

A month went by, and Pat had not 
seen him. One morning, as he stood 
there, he saw a little girl come to the 
door of a shop, wait a minute, and 
then try to run across the street. The 



142 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

street was full of carriages, and she ran 
directly under the horses' feet^ and fell. 
The driver reined in his horses just in 
time for Pat to draw her away, pale 
with fright, and crying with the pain 
in her ankle, which she had twisted. 

^' Oh, Dorothy, what is the matter?" 
exclaimed a lady, as Pat carried the lit- 
tle girl back to the sidewalk. ^' What 
have you been doing ? '' 

Dorothy was crying so she could 
hardly speak, and Pat hastily explained, 
while somebody called a carriage. Mrs. 
Perry with Pat's help placed Dorothy 
in the carriage, and telling Pat to come 
too, they drove away. 

Poor little Dorothy cried a little as 
they rode along, and Mrs. Perry said 
many kind words to the little street- 



THE STKEET-SWEEPER. 143 

sweeper in his ragged clothes. ^^ I don't 
know how to thank you, Pat," she said, 
after inquiring the boy's name. ^^ Mr. 
Perry must see you and tell you how 
brave you are. He has been sick over a 
month. He, too, met with an accident." 

Pat listened and sat in the corner of 
the carriage, as in a dream. It seemed 
so queer that he, the little street-sweeper, 
who had seen the outside of so many 
carriages, should actually be seated in 
one. He rather enjoyed it, but he did 
hope his ^^ gentleman" wouldn't come 
while he was gone. 

At last the carriage stopped, and Pat 
helped the coachman to take little 
Dorothy into the house. 

*' Sit right down here, and I will 
speak to Mr. Perry," said Mrs. Perry 



144 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

as slie went out of tlie room, and 
in a moment Pat heard lier soft voice 
calling, — 

" Pat; Pat, come into this room." 

Pat went to the door^ cap in hand. 
But he stopped. He stared. Who was 
it in that big chair ? He could hardly 
believe his eyes, but it really was his 
*^ gentleman." 

Mr. Perry laughed as he saw Pat and 
recognized him. 

^^I never came back, did I? It 
wasn't my fault, Pat. I met with an 
accident while examining some machin- 
ery not ten minutes after I saw you. 
But I meant to come back, Pat." 

^' I am sure you did^ sir," Pat gained 
courage to say. ^^ I knew you would, 
but the boys all laughed at me." 



THE STREET-SWEEPER. 145 

^^They did, eh?" and Mr. Perry 
gave one of those smiles that Pat loved 
to see. '' They didn't have much faith 
in me, did they? I am glad you did. 
I liked your face, and was as sorry as 
you that I had no pennies in my pocket. 
But you see I didn't have as much 
faith in you, Pat, as you had in me, 
for I have been making inquiries about 
you while you really trusted me. And 
now you have saved our dear little 
Dorothy. What can I do for you, my 
boy?" 

Pat hung his head shyly, and did not 
answer. Surely it was only another 
dream. 

Mr. Perry went on : '' Would you 
like to go to school and prepare your- 
self for business j " 

10 



146 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

Pat nodded his liead. He was too 
dazed to speak; but Mr. Perry saw 
by the Hght in his eyes that he was 
pleased. 

'' Run now, Pat, and tell Jim Murphy. 
You can laugh at him now. Come to 
me this afternoon and we 11 talk it all 
over." 

Even then Pat could not speak^ but 
turned around and went away. 

" That 's a real lesson in faith, Emily," 
Mr. Perry said to his wife. '^ I ought 
to do well by him. I shall be a better 
man for the faith he had in me." 

" Therefore being justified by faith ^ we have 
peace with Grod through our Lord Jesus 
Christ:' 



First Sunday iu November. 



ANNIE BENT'S DREAM. 

^^ TT is time for yon to go to bed, 
Annie/' said Mrs. Bent to her 
little girl. 

'' Oh, Mamma, I don't feel ready," 
said Annie, curling herself up in the 
corner of a large easy-chair in front of 
the fire. 

'' I am afraid you will go to sleep 
in the chair," said her mother, ^^ and 
you will surely be more comfortable to 
sleep in jouy bed." 

Annie got up sullenly, scolding a lit- 
tle as she went to leave the room. Her 



148 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

father looked up from his book, and 
said, — 

^^ I am afraid, Annie, that you have 
forgotten the text you were learning 
just now : ^ Honor thy father and 
mother.' I do not think you are quite 
respectful to your mother." 

Annie hurried out of the room with- 
out any answer, and was soon in her 
bed asleep ; for she had, indeed, been 
very sleepy downstairs. 

In the morning, when her mother 
went in to wake her up, she found 
Annie crying. 

'^ Oh, Mamma," she said, ^' I have 
had such a terrible dream ! I must tell 
it all to you. I dreamed that there 
were no mothers any longer, — no 
mothers in the world. And when Harry 



AKNiE bent's dkeam. 149 

and I got up in the morning, we were 
glad at first, and thought we would n't 
go to school. But I put on my silk 
plaid dress, Mamma, that I knew you 
would n't want me to wear^ and thought 
I would show it to the girls. And when 
I got to school^ I found it was the same 
with all the girls, — none of them had 
any mothers ; and none of them had 
brought their books^ or their slates^ or 
any of the things they ought to, and 
none of them had learned any examples, 
and I had n't any luncheon; but Rebecca 
Sykes had brought two or three tum- 
blers of jelly, more than she could eat, 
but I got it all over the front of my 
dress, and so I came home the minute 
school was over, and there was nobody 
to see to it, for Harry had told Bridget 



150 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOEIES. 

we must liave roast turkey for dinner. 
But we had a terrible time at dinner, for 
tlie boys threw things about, all on my 
silk dress, and nobody to tell them not 
to ; and they said we must have syrup 
on our bread, and Letty did not know 
where it was, and she did not know 
where anything was ; and Bridget had 
burned up the roast turkey by mistake, 
because nobody was there to tell her 
how ; and we all went out because we 
were so hungry. And then we found 
all the other little boys and girls in the 
world, and they were all crying, be- 
cause it was so horrid in their homes; 
and then they all came to me and said 
it was my fault because I had grumbled 
so when you told me to go to bed, and 
that all the way upstairs I had said, 



ANNIE bent's dream. 151 

^ Respectful ! I did n't want to be re- 
spectful ! ' And some of the boys said 
they didn't care, that they had their 
pockets full of nuts; but one of the 
boys said he could not keep any nuts, 
because his pockets were full of holes, 
and who was there ever to mend the 
holes in their pockets? And many of 
the boys had holes in their clothes, and 
the girls too^ and some of the girls had 
not been able to find their hats, and I 
could not find my mittens ; but I did 
not mind so much for that^ because I 
was glad to try how it would be going 
without my mittens. I did not like it 
at all, for it came up very cold, and we 
were all shivering ; and it was so cold, 
they all said there must be ice upon the 
pond. But nobody could tell if it were 



152 SUKD AY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

safe, for there were not any fathers 
either, and nobody to say. And no- 
body knew where their skates were, — 
for we all said we would go skating and 
build a fire on the pond. Then we said 
we would go without skates and slide, 
and some of us had skates; and there 
they were. Mamma, — all the children in 
the world were going out on that pond, 
and the ice was not strong enough to 
hold them, and so we were all tumbling 
into that cold water and drowning, just 
as I was waking up ; and they were all 
saying to me that it was my fault, be- 
cause I had such a nice father and 
mother, and I did n't know how to 
honor and respect them. And I was so 
cold. Mamma." 

'' My poor little girl ! " said her 



ANNIE bent's dream. 153 

mother, covering Annie warmly with 
the blankets, ^' you are all shivering^ 
indeed. I do believe you have been 
sleeping without the bedclothes. I 
came in to you once or twice after you 
were asleep to tuck you up warm." 

^' But, Mamma/' said Annie, burst- 
ing into tears again, '' that was a part 
of my naughtiness ; I kept flinging off 
the blankets, each time you came in, 
because I thought I did n't care to have 
a mother. And that is what made me 
have that terrible dream, — to see what 
a dreadful thing it would be if nobody 
had any mother ! And I know I shall 
never feel so again, and that I have 
been very foolish and naughty ; and I 
must ask you and Papa' to teach me 
how to honor my father and my 



154 SUISTD AY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

mother. And oh ! I am so glad it is 
only a dream ; but such a terrible dream, 
I shall never forget it ! " 

^' Honor thy father and thy mother^ that thy 
days may he long upon the land which the Lord 
thy God giveth theeP 



Second Sunday in Noyember. 



HE COULDN'T SAY "NO." 

pHILIP LANGLEY was just as 
nice a little boy as one could wish 
to see, with one exception : he was too 
good-natured. *^ Too good-natured ! " 
children exclaim ; ^' can anybody be 
too good-natured 1 " I can only say 
Philip Langley was too good-natured. 
He was an amiable baby, and an oblig- 
ing boy. He wanted to please every- 
body, and he did n't want to say ^^ no." 

Now ^' no " is n't a very hard word 
to say. It is n't as hard to pucker the 



156 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

mouth to say ^^no," as it is to pucker 
it to whistle. Phihp could whistle, 
little shaver though he was ; but the 
pucker did n't come when he should 
have said " no/' but changed into a 
placid, quiet, lisping ^^ yes." 

" Don't go out of the yard, Philip," 
said his mother, when a little playmate 
came along and begged him to go 
down to the brook and catch some 
shiners. Philip thought of what his 
mother said, and he tried to say 
^' no ; " but the pucker would n't come, 
and he opened the gate and went. 
It 's true he tumbled into the brook 
and got pretty well frightened, but 
he did n't know it all happened be- 
cause he could n't say '' no." But 
it did. 



HE couldn't say ^^ is^o." 157 

Philip grew bigger, and went to 
school. His teacher loved him, and 
he was a favorite with all the boys 
and girls. He liked to be obliging, 
and so he did n't practise saying " no," 
as he ought to have done. He was 
always practising saying ^^yes," and he 
got so he said it very plainly indeed, 
and very well. 

One day Philip and his sister went 
to the woods to get some wintergreen 
for their mother. It was hot, and 
they sat down on the mossy trunk 
of an old tree to rest, and eat their 
lunch. 

While they sat there the fairies came 
to visit them. Philip was a little 
startled at first, for he had not no- 
ticed them when he first sat down. 



158 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

But here they were all dancing around 
on the moss, and playing ^^hide-and- 
seek " under the leaves. One little 
one stood in a gorgeous red lily, and 
yet another was tucked away under 
a toadstool. 

'^ Where is he ? Let me see ! " cried 
a chorus of voices, when Philip first 
saw them. 

'^ I wonder whom they 're looking 
for," thought Philip. 

'' Here he is," said a piping voice, 
^^sn't he big?" 

^^ And he can't say ^ no,' " said another 
voice. 

^^Oh — o — — 0," came from a crowd 
of the little elves, and they pointed at 
him with their tiny little fingers. 

Then Philip knew that they were 



HE couldn't say ^^ NO." 159 

talking about him, for every finger 
pricked him hke a pin. 

^^ Has he any father and mother?" 
asked a grave-looking little elf, sitting 
on a rootlet. 

'^' Yes," said another, equally grave. 
*^ But they are in great sorrow about 
him. He '11 never be of any use in 
the world. He 's sure to end his life 
badly. There 's something wrong some- 
where." 

Here all the little elves pressed closer 
around Philip, curiously eying him. 
But they could not seem to see why he 
could not say the word. They sighed, 
and said, ^^ Oh — o — o — o " which 
sounded to Philip like '' No — o — o — o," 
and all the little fingers seemed again to 
be little pins. 



160 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

^^ We must do something/' said the 
grave elf. ^' His father and mother 
don't have any comfort with him, and 
they 've sent him to us. The elves 
never send mortals back as they come. 
We must look at him pretty closely, 
and perhaps we can help him." 

So the two grave-looking elves put 
on their spectacles, and beckoning about 
a dozen others, they began to turn 
Philip over. 

Oh ! how Philip wished he could stop 
them! Every time they touched him, 
he felt as if a hundred pins were prick- 
ing him. 

^^It must be his heart is wrong," said 
one, after they had felt him all over, 
even looking down his throat. '' If the 
heart is wrong, he can't say ^ no ; ' " and 



HE couldn't say ^^^^O." 161 

the little elf shook his head, and his 
spectacles dropped off. 

Philip would have laughed at this, 
for the elf looked so funny; but he 
was afraid they would do something to 
his heart, and he knew that if his heart 
were meddled with he might die. What 
should he do ? ^^ If I could only 
speak, I 'd show them I could say 
^no,'" thought he. But he couldn't; 
and again the little fingers all pricked 
harder than ever. 

Philip was so frightened, he made 
a terrible effort and called out: ^^I can 
say ^ no ; ' I will say ^ no ; ' " and he 
jumped right up, kicking the elves in 
every direction. 

What do you think he saw when he 

jumped up? Why, his sister Daisy 
11 



162 SUKDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

standing beside him^ and dropping pine 
spills on him^ to wake him up. 

Philip became a wise son, and learned 
to say ^^ no." 

" A foolish son is a grief to his father^ and 
bitterness to her that bare him.^^ 



Third Sunday in Noyember. 



THE PROMISE. 

'' T DON'T believe tliat Mr. Hobart 
will expect us at all/' said Will 
Green to his companion, as they were 
plunging along through wet snow and a 
heavy rain. They were little fellows, 
about of an age, and the storm was a 
heavy one; but they were well pro- 
tected with overcoats and high india- 
rubber boots, and they plodded on 
manfully. 

'' I dare say he may think that we 
shall not come," said Ernest, in reply, 



164 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

^^ but that will not make any difference ; 
we promised that we would take the 
message to him, if it came, and the 
message did come, so we are bound to 
take it.'^ 

'' But suppose he laughs at us for 
coming," persisted Will, '' and says we 
are very foolish to be out in such a 
storm." 

^^ That does not make any difference," 
said Ernest ; ^^ we promised to go." 

^^ But very likely he will say we need 
not have come, because the message is 
that ^Mr. Jones is coming to-night.^ 
Now," continued Will, ^'if Mr. Jones 
is really coming to-night, he will go 
directly and see Mr. Hobart ; and Mr. 
Hobart will know he has come, and 
there 's no use in our telling — " 



THE PROMISE. 165 

^' That makes no difference," said Er- 



-7 



nest. ^^I am sorry you find it so hard. 
You know you were to come to show 
me the way, because the telegraph-boy 
declared he would not come all this 
distance, anyhow. So Mr. Hobart em- 
ployed us ; you were to show me the 
way, and I was to keep your courage 
up. I am sure I don't want to give 
up^ and I don't believe you do. Our 
mothers said we need not mind the 
storm." 

'• It would have been very good fun 
to come/' said Will, '^if it had been 
pleasant ; and Mr. Hobart promised to 
show us the fox they had caught. But 
w^hat I mean is, that it is not very good 
fun to get a wetting, when very likely 
there 's no use in it." 



166 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

'^ That does not make any differences^ 
said Ernest ; ^^ we promised to come." 

'' So you keep saying forever and 
ever," said Will, — ''4t does not make 
any difference.' But the telegraph-boy 
said he could not come, and I don't 
wonder. Now, we might say we could 
not come." 

^^ But you see we could come," said 
Ernest ; ^^ we are almost there now, 
and we shall have done what we said 
we would do. Don't you see ? This 
explains what we were asking the 
teacher the other day. You know we 
wanted to know the meaning of the 
words ^ everlasting covenant ; ' and she 
explained that it was a promise that 
should last forever and ever, because it 
was a promise. Now, it would be a 



THE PROMISE. 167 

pity if our promises could not last over 
one afternoon, and I am sorry the tele- 
grapli-boy's promises did not last any 
longer. Perhaps he did not make an 
' everlasting covenant ; ' he may have 
agreed to carry the messages when it 
did not tire him too much, or if he 
could take only those that were not far 
off, or else he may have said he would 
not go out in the rain. But we made 
no such ' covenant.' " 

'^ I am glad we are here^ anyhow," 
said Will; ^' and I must confess you 
did ^keep up my courage,' and I 
never should have reached here with- 
out you." 

^^ And I must say that you showed 
me the way," said Ernest, ^^ as you 
agreed to do ; and I never should 



168 SU]N"DAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

have found it without your help, across 
all the fields, among the whortleberry 
bushes. So we have both performed 
our promise, — we have ' fulfilled 
our covenant,' as the teacher would 
say." 

Mr. Hobart received the boys gladly. 
He took them in by the warm fire, and 
made them take off their coats and dry 
themselves. 

^^ I am thankful you have come," he 
said^ '^ for I am much relieved to hear 
that Mr. Jones is coming. I have 
a sick friend here whom I could not 
leave unless Mr. Jones could come 
and spend the night. And I shall 
send a note back by you. It is very 
important that it should go by to-night's 
mail.'' 



THE PROMISE. 169 

^^ Then you depended upon our com- 
ing?" asked Will; '^ did you think 
we really should come in such a 
storm?" 

'^ I knew that Ernest would come/' 
said Mr. Hobart ; '^ that is why I made 
the agreement with him to come. He 
is one of the boys whom I can depend 
upon, as I depend every day upon the 
sun's rising ; and he told me that you 
would show him the way. While I 
write my note my sister shall show 
you the fox, and perhaps she has some 
candy or cake for you." 

Before the boys left, Will told Mr. 
Hobart about the talk he had with 
Ernest about the ^^ covenant." 

^^ You see that I was right/' said 
Mr. Hobart, ^' in believing in him, be- 



170 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

cause he persisted in coming', although 
you argued very well against it. He 
came because he had promised to 
come." 

" He hath made with me an everlasting cove- 
nant^ ordered in all things and sure'' 



Fourtli Sunday in NoTember. 



LOST IX THE WOODS. 

" TOEY CARTER has got 'em." 
J '' Got what ? '' asked his motheiv 
^' Oh ! he 's got lots of things," an- 
swered Jimmy Gooding, cheerfully. 
^^ He 's got playthings, and measles, 
and a pony, and lots of things." 

Mrs. Gooding laughed out merrily 
at the little fat boy on the floor, who 
named measles among Joey's posses- 
sions. Jimmy looked uj) at her in 
wonder. 

^^You don't know much, Jimmy/' 
said his older sister Mattie, who was 



172 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

in the grammar schooL '' You 're a 
little ignoramus." 

^^ I aint an Mgno.' I don't know 
what you called the rest of it. I 'm a 
little white boy. You 're making fun 
of me, and I won't stay with you any 
longer." And rather heavily, the little, 
fat, six-year-old boy got up from the 
floor and started for the door. 

*^ Don't go far," said his mother. 
'' You 'd better stay in the pasture." 

Jimmy was intent on going, and he 
did n't hear his mother. Who should 
he see playing in his yard but Joey 
Carter ! Now Joey's mamma had been 
afraid he would have the measles ; but 
fortunately he hadn't taken them, and 
Joey was out playing again. 

" Let 's play ' Hop o' my Thumb/ '^ 



LOST IN THE WOODS. 173 

said Joey. ^^We'll go into the woods 
and drop some pieces of paper for 
pebbles^ and then we '11 come home 
just as ^ Hop o' my Thumb ' did, and 
s'prise his mother." 

Jimmy thought that was a lovely 
plan, and they climbed over the rocks 
and bushes to the woods. Then they 
followed the papers and found their 
way back. This was fun ; so they 
thought they would try it again, and 
go into the woods a little farther. 
They climbed the stone wall with an 
effort, and found themselves in the 
woods. They scattered a few pieces 
of paper, and then Jimmy spied a 
squirrel. 

^^ What's that squirrel got in his 
mouth ? " said Jimmy. 



174 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

^^ Dunno/' answered Joey, who was 
not a very observing little boy. 

^^ Let 's go and see/' said Jimmy, and 
the two little boys ran as fast as they 
could to overtake the squirrel. But 
that wasn't very easy work. Bunny 
would stop and wait, and then run 
away from them. He cocked his little 
head on one side, and was ready for 
a game of tag. He looked as if he 
wanted to say, '' Catch me, if you 
can." 

Jimmy and Joey played with him 
some time, forgetting which way they 
had come, and letting the little bits of 
paper lie idle in their pockets. At 
last they saw some ripe raspberries, 
and they picked some into Joey's hat; 
and sat down to eat them. 



LOST IIS^ THE WOODS. 175 

^^ Let's go home now," said Jimmy, 
when the last berry was eaten. 

Joey was ready, but neither of them 
knew which way to go. Jimmy wanted 
to go the way the squirrel went^ but 
Joey was sure the path was another 
way. They stood still and looked. 
Finally, Joey put his hand in his 
pocket, and pulled out a quarter of a 
dollar. 

^^ You show me the way home, 
Jimmy, and 1 11 give you this. That 's 
the way they did in my Sunday-school 
story," said he. 

But Jimmy did n't know, and could n't 
tell. 

^^That money won't do any good," 
he said contemptuously. ^' 'T would n't 
do any good if you had a whole dollar. 



176 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

We've lost our way, and that's all 
there is about it." 

Joey began to cry, but Jimmy didn't 
pay much attention to him. He was 
looking around, to see if he could n't 
spy the path. He had a wise little 
head, and did not mean to sit down 
and not make any effort to get 
home. 

Presently he heard a cow. ^^ Joey," 
cried he, ^Hhere 's an old rnooly. She 's 
got to go home to-night. Let's find 
her and go home when she does." 

Joey brightened up^ and the boys 
began to walk toward the place where 
the sound came from. They had not 
gone far when they struck a path, and 
in a few moments more saw the cow 
close beside them. 



LOST m THE WOODS. 177 

^^Why, Joey/' said Jimmy, ^^ that's 
our old Duffy. We can go right home 
now, when the boy comes for her." 

It was indeed good old Duffy ; and 
soon Thomas came to drive her home 
for the night. 

" Well, you are bright ones/' he said, 
when the boys had told their story. ^' I 
did n't think you had so much sense." 

^^I had a quarter of a dollar," said 
Joey. 

^^ That kind of cents did n't do you 
much good, though, did it ? " And 
Thomas laughed. ^' There 's another 
kind that's better." 

'^Wisdom is better than ruhies.^^ 



12 



First Sunday in December. 



THE HOLY TEMPLE. 

^^ X/OU know I have never been in 
a church in all my life," said 
little Marian Lee to her aunt Marian 
on Sunday morning. 

It was only the night before that 
she had arrived at her aunt's, with her 
father and mother, after a long, long 
journey, all the way from Texas. Night 
and day they had travelled on the rail- 
road, and before then they had jour- 
neyed many days from the ranch in 
Texas, where Marian had lived all her 



THE HOLY TEMPLE. 179 

life^ and she knew nothing of living in 
towns with many houses and people. 

^^ But you used to have services on 
Sunday at home, did you not?'' asked 
her aunt Marian. 

'^ Oh, yes, Papa always reads to us," 
said Marian, ^^ and the neighbors all 
come in^ for we have a few neighbors. 
But Mamma can't sing, and I do not 
know much what music is. And often 
some one comes who preaches to us, 
and it is always a quiet and beautiful 
morning, and we have a quiet and 
beautiful time. You know there is 
such a large family of us, and so 
many boys, that we have to have a 
great deal of noise, and week-days 
there is some kind of hubbub going 
on all the time. But in the Sunday 



180 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

liour Mamma insists we must all of 
us keep very quiet, and Papa makes 
us learn some beautiful verses. I kept 
thinking of them as we came along in 
the sleeping-cars at night, — of the one 
about all ^the earth keeping silence.' 
It was not really quiet, for there was 
a great noise of rushing of the wheels 
and shaking of the cars, and there 
seemed to be a clattering of chains 
overhead and below. But sometimes 
in the middle of the night I Avould lie 
awake, and then I would lift the cur- 
tain at my side, and there we were 
hurrying along, hurrying along, over 
great plains where I could see nothing ; 
but overhead sometimes I could see 
the stars looking down upon us, just as 
they looked down upon us at home." 



THE HOLY TEMPLE. 181 

^^I suppose your father has read to 
you how Solomon built a beautiful 
temple for worship at Jerusalem ? '' said 
Aunt Marian. 

'' Yes, he read us about Solomon's 
temple," said Marian; ^^and I remem- 
ber that very day he read about it^ 
we went out afterward to see the cat- 
tle that had been brought in, — great 
herds of them, crowds and crowds of 
them. And they made me think of 
what he had been reading, — how after 
the temple was built the king Solomon 
made a ' sacrifice ' — that was what they 
called it — of thousands and thousands 
of oxen and sheep that Solomon had 
gathered together, and how he made 
of them an offering to the Lord. And 
I asked Papa if we could not make 



182 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

such an offering, since we had all these 
thousands of cattle, though perhaps not 
as many as King Solomon." 

" And what did your father say ? " 
asked Aunt Marian. 

^^He said that Jesus came to tell us 
there were better offerings/' said Marian, 
^' and indeed that Solomon knew that 
there were better ways of showing our 
thankfulness than killing all these oxen." 

^^ And what are they?" said Aunt 
Marian. 

^^Papa said," answered Marian, ^^that 
Jesus had showed that it is better 
to love God with all our heart and all 
our strength, and to love other people 
like one's self, — this is better than to 
make that kind of offering to God, 
however grand it sounds." 



THE HOLY TEMPLE. 183 

" And it is much harder, Aunt 
Marian," continued the Httle girl, ^^for 
it would not have been any gift of 
mine, if I had stood by to see all 
those oxen slaughtered for a ^ burnt 
offering ; ' but it was doing something, 
if I was kind to Archie, and let him play 
with my things, and if I learned to love 
the friends Grod has given me ; and it will 
be something too — won't it ? — if I can 
learn to worship him and praise him and 
thank him in his holy temple to-day." 

And that very day in the church 
where she went with her aunt, Marian 
did indeed praise the Lord with all her 
heart and soul. 

'' Oh, Aunt Marian ! " she said after- 
ward, '' I did keep silence before the 
Lord, listening to the wonderful music 



184 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

that seemed to know how to praise 
him, as the birds of the air might 
know. And it all seemed so grand, 
I wondered if the other little girls who 
were used to it knew how glorious it 
was to be in the ^ house of the Lord,' 
and to hear the singing of the whole 
congregation and to listen to the words 
of the preacher. We have, to be sure, 
a great sky over our head, and wide 
space about us, but perhaps we forget 
to praise him right, because we have 
not the ^ holy temple ' to come to. Do 
you think these little girls remember 
to praise him when they come in, every 
Sunday r' 

^^The Lord is in his holy temple ; let all the 
earth keep silence before himP 



Second Sunday in December. 



TRUE GREATNESS. 

T TE was a great man, and had trav- 
elled far and wide. He had vis- 
ited kings and emperors^ and lived in 
beautiful palaces, with people to wait 
on him and do his bidding. All the 
.world knew of Sir Henry Norton. Many 
were the stories told of him ; and even 
the children knew that he was a " great 
man." 

Dannie and Elsie thought so. He was 
a friend of their papa, though they had 
never seen him since they could remem- 



186 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

ber. Dannie and Elsie were twins, so 
one could n't remember more than the 
other, which is sometimes a good thing. 
Papa had his photograph in the album, 
and when they were unusually good lit- 
tle children, Mamma would show them 
ail the pictures ; and they would look 
with wonder and awe at the fierce- 
looking man that everybody talked 
about. 

And now Sir Henry was coming to 
spend a few weeks at Oaklands, where 
Dannie and Elsie lived. What an ex- 
citement there was ! The children 
were a little shy, too, of this great 
man. Elsie watched at the window 
for the carriage, while Dannie strutted 
up and down the parlor, occasionally 
muttering, ^^ Who's afraid? I aint." 



TRUE GREATNESS. 187 

All the same^ it was Dannie who was 
a little frightened. He had, boy-fash- 
ion, been so interested in Sir Henry's 
narrow escapes in his wanderings and 
his dealings with savage men, that he 
did not think of him otherwise. And 
when Sir Henry arrived, it must be 
confessed he did not joay them much 
attention. He was tired from a long 
journey ; and in a little while Jane 
came in and carried them off to bed, 
and there was no opportunity to see 
him more. 

^' Where are those children ? " Dannie 
and Elsie heard a strange voice calling, 
the next morning. Dannie was dressed, 
but he was afraid to go downstairs ; 
so he peeped through the balusters to 
see if the '' great man " were really 



188 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

there. This time Dannie made a 
mistake. 

" Here 's the little rascal ! " exclaimed 
a deep voice ; and before Dannie had 
time to scream (and he was just going 
to), a strong arm picked him up, 
slnng him on his shoulder, and started 
off down the stairs at a break-neck 
pace. 

My ! how frightened Dannie was ! 
And Elsie, who had just got her apron 
tied on, ran to the stairs, and held her 
breath. 

" What 's that horrid man doing with 
my brother Dannie ? " she exclaimed, 
as soon as she could speak at all. But, 
to her surprise, a peal of laughter came 
up the stairs from Dannie, and was fol- 
lowed by another, and yet another. 



TKUE GREATNESS. 189 

Elsie was n't afraid then^ but she wanted 
to have the fun^ too ; so she ran down 
stairs as fast as her little feet could carry 
her. 

" Already at it ! " she heard her papa 
exclaim^ as she entered the room^ and 
found Sir Henry and Dannie engaged 
in a frolic. ^' You never could let 
children alone, could you, Henry? 
Curious it is that you have kept your 
boyishness so well. Now, I'm an old 
fellow.'' 

Elsie looked at her papa. She did n't 
think he was an " old fellow." He never 
did tell stories, as Sir Henry was doing, 
laughing all over, all the time. It did 
not take long for the children to feel 
that Sir Henry was their friend, 
and from that time he was prime 



190 SUIS^DAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

favorite. In future he was " Uncle 
Henry/' 

But after Uncle Henry had been 
with them some days^ the children 
noticed that he began to take long 
walks by himself. Dannie and Elsie 
felt as if they did n't own all that 
great man. 

" Where do you go, Uncle Henry ? " 
asked Elsie, curiously. 

" Go to walk, Elsie/' was the prompt 
answer. 

But Dannie and Elsie were n't satisfied 
with this answer ; they wanted to know 
more. So one day they made up their 
minds to go to walk, too. In other 
words, they meant to follow Uncle 
Henry, and see where he went. 

It was pretty hard work for such 



TRUE GREATNESS. 191 

short little legs to keep up with such 
long ones ; but they did^ lagging a 
little way behind, and Uncle Henry 
never saw them. Before long, he 
turned into an old shed. Carefully 
the children crept around, and peeped 
in through the cracks. 

At last they knew where Uncle Henry 
went. In a corner of the old shed, upon 
a pile of straw, lay an old man. He 
was very old, the children thought. 
He certainly must be very ill. He 
could not move, and Uncle Henry 
turned him over carefully, and talked 
to him in a quiet tone, unlike the bois- 
terous one he used in talking with the 
children. When the old man was appar- 
ently more comfortable, Uncle Henry 
took a book from his pocket, and read. 



192 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

Then dropping on his knees beside the 
wretched bed of straw, he prayed, with 
tears in his eyes, to our Father in 
Heaven. 

Awestruck, the children stole quietly 
away, and told their mother what they 
had seen. 

" I am sorry you went there, my 
darlings. You ought not to have gone. 
The man you saw is a poor escaped 
prisoner. Your uncle found him there ; 
and the poor fellow, who is dying, 
begged him not to tell. So he has 
been there every day to do what he 
could for him. He reads and talks 
with him, too ; and the poor man is 
very sorry for all his wrong-doing. 
He told me about it to-day, and prom- 
ised to let me go, too, if I could help 



TKUE GKEATNESS. 193 

him. Uncle Henry is what the world 

calls a great man. But the Christian 

love in his heart is more than all 
earthly greatness." 

" She came from the uttermost parts of the 
earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and^ he- 
holdy a greater than Solomon is hereP 



13 



Third Sunday in December. 



ELEANOR'S PRIDE. 

^^ T AM quite sure that I know them 
all by heart now," said Eleanor. 
^^I don't think it is necessary to study 
those tiresome names over again.' ^ 

'^ Remember," said her older sister, 
^^the words of the text : ' Let him that 
thinketh he standeth take heed lest he 
fall.' You would be very sorry to 
miss seeing the pictures next week, 
and you would have time this after- 
noon to go out and play with the 
girls, after studying a little more the 



Eleanor's pride. 195 

'tiresome list' of names, as you call 
them." 

" I tliink your sister Jane is riglit/' 
said Grace, a little friend of Eleanor, 
who had come in to propose they 
should go out with their sleds, be- 
cause the coasting, she said, ^^ was per- 
fectly splendid." ^^It is so early, we 
shall have time for plenty of coasting 
after we have studied over the names." 

^' I don't quite understand," said 
Jane, ^^ why your teacher gave you 
so many names to study." 

'' Oh ! it was a special thing," said 
Grace. ^'Miss Anderson told us she 
had a friend who has just come home 
from Spain, and would tell us all about 
what she saw there, if she would bring 
trs some afternoon to her house, where 



196 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

she lias a great many pictures and 
pretty things she has brought home.'' 

^' And Miss Anderson began to show 
us on the map," Eleanor went on, ^Hhe 
places that her friend had been to see ; 
but there was not much time for her 
to tell us all she wanted to, so she 
gave us a list of names and places to 
look up ourselves, and she is going 
to ask us about theiA, and the girls 
that can answer well are to be the ones 
to go with her and see the things." 

^^ Then it is not a mere list of names 
you are to learn," said Jane. 

^^Oh, no," answered Grace, ^^we 
are only to look them out on the 
map^ and see where they are. And I 
am glad to be reminded of them, for 
I only looked up a few, , Suppose, 



eleakor's pride. 197 

Eleanor, we stay and hunt tliem all up, 
and go out and coast afterward." 

'' But you see, the thing* is," said 
Eleanor^ ^^ I need not hunt them up. 
I know all about them now. I have 
studied the geography, — that part^ I 
mean, about Spain. You know I al- 
ways learn my lessons perfectly. So 
you see I have the advantage now. 
I have these names all at my fingers' 
ends. Of course, I know where Ma- 
drid is, and all the rest; it is not 
necessary for me to study up the 
thing." 

^^ But do stay, and help me/' said 
Grace ; ^4t won't take us long, and 
we should be so ashamed if we could 
not answer the questions." 

^^And I shall be glad to look it all 



198 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

up with you," said Jane^ ^^ and perhaps 
Miss Anderson will invite me to go 
with you." 

^^Well, yon may plod over it to- 
gether/' said Eleanor, putting on her 
toboggan cap ; " I don't want to lose 
any of this fine afternoon." 

^^ Take heed, — let him that thinketh 
he standeth take heed ! " repeated Grace, 
as Jane took down some large maps 
and placed them on the table. 

'^ And remember Solomon," said Jane. 

^^ I do not know what Solomon has 
to do with it," said Eleanor, hngering. 

"You remember," said Jane, "that 
in spite of all his wisdom and learn- 
ing, he forgot the commandments of 
the Lord, and did many wrong things, 
and his kingdom was divided — " 



^ Eleanor's pride. 199 

^^But I am not like Solomon/' said 
Eleanor, '^for I am not disobeying 
any command." 

'^You are forgetting a request of 
Miss Anderson," said Jane. ^' She and 
her friend are kind enough to oifer 
you a great pleasure, and you are not 
willing to take the pains to prepare 
for it." 

^' You forget^ Jane," said Eleanor, 
sharply, '^ that I have taken pains to 
learn my geography lessons, and that 
ought to be enough." 

'' I am not sure that you do re- 
member all you have studied/' said 
Jane. ^^You are very quick in learn- 
ing your lessons, and you may forget 
as quickly." 

^^And I don't believe," said Grace, 



200 SUKDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

^' that Miss Anderson would have given 
IIS more work to do, if what we have 
learned in our geography would be 
enough." 

Eleanor hurried out of the room, 
and would not listen to more. She 
was sorry for her wilfulness the next 
day, when she found she could not 
answer half the questions Miss Ander- 
son put to her, and she could not be 
of the happy party that enjoyed much 
seeing the pictures, and hearing all 
that was told about them. 

^^I was very sorry to be obliged to 
be so particular," said Miss Anderson 
afterward, ^^but Miss Ames has so 
much that is interesting to tell about 
her travels, that she did not want to 
be obliged to stop and explain the 



Eleanor's pride, 201 

geography of all the places ; and she 
sajT^s she never enjoyed more than in 
talking to the bright set of little girls, 
who knew already where the places 
were that she was talking about." 

Eleanor said to her sister Jane, ^^I 
think I was well punished, for I did 
want to stay with you that day, it 
looked so pleasant to see you helping 
Grace; but I was afraid you would 
think I was afraid of ' falling.' Now 
I think it is better to ^take heed,' and 
to be afraid of falling, and I will try 
to be ready another time." 

" Wherefore let him that thinheth he standeth 
take heed lest he fallJ''^ 



Fourth Sunday in Decemlber. 



ISAAC'S CONYERSIOK 

^^ T F I only knew what his command- 
ments are ! I 'm afraid of him 
now; just as afraid as I can be. He 
didn't give me no commandments." 
Isaac Green shook his tangled head 
and looked perplexed. 

^^Here, you, Isaac ! Come right here 
this minute ! " called out a sharp voice. 
^^ What yer doing sitting out there and 
a gaping? Don't yer think I don't want 
no wood split ? " 

Isaac got up slowly from his seat 
under the apple-tree. 



Isaac's coNVERSioisr. 203 

^^I'll come when I get ready," he 
muttered. ^^I dunno what youVe al- 
ways going for a feller for." But he 
walked slowly over to the wood-pile 
and began to work. 

He had gone to meeting that after- 
noon for the first time in his life, 
if climbing up and peeping through 
the windows can be called going to 
church. He saw a lot of people 
going into the meeting-house, and he 
wanted to know what was going on. 
He heard the music and liked it, 
but he could n't understand much 
else, only at the end the minister 
had said, — 

^' ' Fear God and keep his command- 
ments: for this is the whole duty of 
man.' " 



204 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

Isaac heard and remembered this 
sentence, although he could not make 
much sense to it. 

Poor Isaac ! He was an unhappy 
little fellow who lived with his mother, 
a scolding woman, in a wretched tum- 
ble-down house. He went to school 
sometimes, but the boys laughed at him 
and teased him. His mother made him 
work when he was at home and beat 
him when she was ugly He would 
often go and hide when he saw her 
coming. Well enough he knew what 
fear was. The first part of the sen- 
tence he understood. He was even 
more afraid of God than of his mother, 
if that were possible. But a^for keep- 
ing his commandments, Isaac was a 
real little heathen. He knew nothing 



■} 



Isaac's conyersioi^. 205 

about commandments. His little brain 
kept at work so busily on what tbe 
minister had said that he let his hatchet 
slip and cut his foot badly. Before he 
could get help, he had fainted ; and 
when he really came to himself he was 
in a strange place. Little white beds 
were along the sides of the room, a 
little child in each one ; and bending 
over him was a pleasant-looking wo- 
man, wearing a broad white apron. 
How white and clean everything was ! 
It did not occur to him to wonder 
that he was in the white, clean place 
so different from his home. He lay 
there, not moving or caring to move, 
as if he were dreaming. At last the 
old thought came back about fearing 
God and keeping his commandments. 



206 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

It was as if he were going right on 
with his thoughts at the wood-pile. 

Suddenly he heard a voice say so 
sweetly: ^^ There, shut your eyes now 
and go to sleep again. We'll talk 
when you wake up." 

Isaac obeyed, and slept he knew not 
how long. When he awoke the same 
cheerful face was beside him, and he 
felt happy. Little by little, he found 
out about his accident and removal to 
the Children's Hospital. 

One day as he lay in bed feeling 
stronger, he remembered the meeting 
and what the minister had said. ^^I 
aint afraid of him now,'' he thought. 
^'Ever since the lady was talking to 
Jack in the next bed and telling him 
what God was doing all the time for 



Isaac's coNVERSioisr. 207 

us, I aint afraid of him. The minis- 
ter said we must fear him. Seems as 
if things were dreadful hard to under- 
stand ! " 

^^What is it, Iky?" asked Miss 
Hall, his nurse, seeing his perplexed 
look. 

Isaac didn't know exactly what to 
say at first. But Miss Hall was so good 
to him, and he had learned to love her 
so dearly, he thought he would try to 
tell her. 

She smiled and kissed his little white 
face. 

^^ Don't worry over that. Iky, dear. 
God doesn't want you to be afraid of 
him, but to love him so dearly that 
you'll be afraid to do wrong. If you 
love him, and I 'm sure you do when 



208 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

you think what a kind and loving 
Father he is to you, you will try 
and do nothing to displease him, but 
to do those things that will please 
liim. That is keeping his command- 
ments. Don't think too much about 
it now^ for you must keep quiet and 
get well. Only remember that God 
loves you and you want to please 
him." 

Indeed, Iky was not strong enough 
to do much thinking then. He had 
been very ill, and it was a long time 
before he was well enough to leave 
the hospital. He did not forget his 
talk with Miss Hall. Simple as it was, 
he understood it all now, and every 
day he was more patient and cheerful 
and helpful to the other children be- 



Isaac's co:n'yeesion'. 209 

cause he was trying to please the 
Father who loved him. 

'*I never grew so fond of any little 
fellow in my life," said Miss Hall to 
the surgeon, the week before Isaac was 
to leave. '' He will be a real loss to 
us. He helps the children get well as 
much as you or I." 

^^Why not keep him?" said Dr. 
Chase. '' He has no home fit to go 
to, and I 'm sure his mother would be 
glad to get rid of him. I have no 
doubt that the Directors would give 
permission if we asked it. The truth 
is, I hate to part with the little fellow 
myself" 

The Directors gave their consent, and 
Miss Hall and Iky had many a talk 
together. Isaac lived to be a minister 

14 



210 SU:N'D AY-SCHOOL STOKIES. 

liimselfj but he never forgot the first 
time he went to meeting, and the 
text. 

'^ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole 
matter; Fear God and keep Ms command- 
ments; for this is the whole duty of man.^^ 



Fifth Sunday in December. 



TRY AGAIN. 

'' W^^"^ ^^^^^ ^^' Bartlett walk so 
funny ? " said little Sadie Lee, 
as she and her sister Susie were playing 
in the yard one day. 

^* Let me see ! " cried Susie, who was 
busy building an oven. She dropped 
her playthings, and running to the 
fence, climbed up on it beside Sadie, 
and looked earnestly at their neighbor, 
who was coming down the street. 

Poor man! he could not walk very 
well, and every now and then he 
leaned against a tree and rested. 



212 SUKDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

^' He must be sick/' said Sadie. ^^ I 
wish Mamma was at home. She 'd 
know what to give him." 

'' Let 's go and see what we can do/' 
suggested Susie. ^^ Don't you remem- 
ber how he took us to ride once? I 
think we ought to help him, to pay 
him back ; " and sturdy Susie opened 
the gate and marched down the street, 
with Sadie following, more timidly. 

'^How do you do, Mr. Bartlett?" 
said Susie, very politely. ^^I'm sorry 
you 're so sick ; but if you 11 lean a 
little on me, I can help you home ; " 
and Susie, who was tall of her age, 
drew herself up to her full height. 

Mr. Bartlett tried to straighten him- 
self up, but did not succeed very well. 
He looked at the children as if he did 



TRY AGAIN^. 213 

not see them^ and began to talk ; but 
Susie could not understand a word lie 
said. 

''How sick lie must be ! " she thought, 
while Sadie looked on in open-eyed 
wonder. '' I guess the sooner we get 
him home, the better ; " and taking his 
hand, she placed it on her shoulder, 
and with Sadie on the other side, she 
tried to help him home. He did not 
object. He leaned a little heavily on 
Susie ; but, fortunately, his house was 
near by. Before he reached his gate, 
however, he ceased mumbling, and 
looked at the children as if he recog- 
nized them. His head drooped, and 
he leaned less heavily on stout little 
Susie's shoulder. 

" I 'm all right now," he said with an 



214 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

effort, as they opened the gate for him. 
^^ Thank you. You need n't come in ; " 
and he walked up the path as if much 
better. 

Susie and Sadie turned to go away, 
and met their mother just coming home, 
to whom they told their story. Mrs. 
Lee looked grave, and did not speak 
for some time. 

*^ What was the matter with him, 
do you suppose. Mamma I " asked 
Susie. 

Still Mrs. Lee hesitated, but after a 
moment answered, — 

'^ Mr. Bartlett has a disease, children, 
which is a most serious one. I am 
Sony you saw him, for he was not in 
his right mind. But perhaps when he 
is, he will remember that you helped 



TRY AGAIN. 215 

him, and he will try to help himself 
more. 

^' When he was a little boy, no bigger 
than your brother Arthur, his father 
used to let him take sugar with brandy 
on it, and he learned to like it. It 
made him sick, and every year he 
grows worse, and craves the brandy 
more. It is a most terrible disease ; 
and not only does it kill the man, but 
his friends all suffer, too. That is why 
the boys were asked to sign a pledge 
the other day, promising not to drink 
intoxicating liquors." 

^' Oh ! I know all about it now. 
Mamma," said Susie; ^^ only I didn't 
know he was drunk. I never saw 
anybody drunk before. Did they ask 
Mr. Bartlett to sign, too?" 



216 SUXDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

Mrs. Lee shook lier head. She was 
thinking how many times he had been 
asked, and refused, and that was no 
reason why he should not be asked 
again. There was no end of times 
that Christ meant us to forgive our 
brothers ; and why should there be 
any limit to the times we should try 
to save them ? 

^^ Well, I 'm going to ask him/' said 
Susie, sturdily. ^'He'll do it for me, 
I know ; and I '11 sign myself, if he 
does. Mayn't I, Mamma?" 

^^ We '11 see," answered Mrs. Lee. 
^^ There's no hurry, just now." 

But Susie did n't feel satisfied. She 
went out to play; but her busy little 
brain was planning all the time how 
she should do it. 



TKY AGAIN". 217 

After tea she slipped into the hbrary, 
where she knew was the pledge her 
brother Arthur had signed; and care- 
fully tucking it under her apron, she 
crept out of the yard, and up to Mr. 
Bartlett's door. Kind, lovely Mrs. 
Bartlett opened the door, and Susie 
saw she had been crying. 

^^ I don't believe but what he 's 
worse," she thought; but being a very 
decided little girl, when once she had 
made up her mind, she asked for Mr. 
Bartlett. 

^^He's in the parlor," said Mrs. Bart- 
lett, sadly. ^^ You go right in. I think 
he will like to see you." 

Susie walked in. Mr. Bartlett sat in 
an easy-chair, with a book in his hand, 
but was evidently not reading. He 



218 SUNDAY-SCHOOL STORIES. 

looked up as Susie came in^ but turned 
away his head again. Susie went bravely 
up to his chair, and put her hand on his 
knee. ^^How do you do this evening, 
Mr. Bartlett?" she said. ^^I came over 
here to bring you this paper, and ask 
you to please sign it." 

Mr. Bartlett looked cross. ^^ Who 
sent you ? " he asked rather gruffly, 
as Susie unfolded it. 

^^ Nobody sent me. Nobody knew I 
was coming. I knew you were sick, 
and there isn't any medicine, only 
this, will cure you. Won't you please 
sign it ? And then I '11 put my name 
down, too." 

Mr. Bartlett's eyes grew very wet and 
tender. He lifted the little girl on his 
knee. 



TKY AGAIN. • 219 

'^ Susie, I will sign it, and with God's 
help keep it, too ; and you shall put 
your name right after mine. I have 
been myself ever since you left me at 
the gate, and I have resolved never to 
touch another drop of liquor." 

^^ Mary ! " he called to his wife, as 
he put the pen back on the table, 
^^ come and see what Susie and I 
have been doing. Help me, all of 
you, to keep it. Kiss me, Susie, now, 
and run home and tell your mother 
what you have done." 

And Susie did run as fast as she 
could. ^' You see there was use in 
trying again," she said in her grave, 
old-fashioned way. 



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